In the context of social vulnerability, the house is an important social and economic resource to cope with poverty. However, low-income homeowners face constraints to maintain their houses, negatively affecting the quality of their dwellings, buildings and neighbourhoods. In the case of Chile, current studies have shown high levels of housing deterioration due to the lack of maintenance, but more knowledge is needed to understand the problems behind this poor management process. One important challenge is to consider an integral approach, beyond the technical dimension, that includes organisational and sociocultural inputs. Therefore, this paper presents the results of an exploratory study about the nature of the management problems in the context of Chilean low-income condominiums. The method considered semi-structured interviews with Chilean homeowners, researchers and professionals from the private sector, municipalities and central government. Main findings show the interdependencies between sociocultural, organisational and technical dimensions of the management problem; and the relevance of the sociocultural variables to perform technical maintenance activities. A better understanding of the nature and relationships among the management problems will provide better tools to improve current housing management models. ... Read more

In Chile, social condominiums are a significant part of housing for low-income households. After decades of occupancy, this housing stock shows signs of rapid deterioration and devaluation due to neglected maintenance. Given the weak governmental support in management practices, third sector organisations are positioning themselves as alternatives to providing technical solutions and contributing to the enhancement of opportunities and capacities among communities that live in deprived areas. However, little is known about the dynamics between these organisations and the communities they work with as well as their interactions with their institutional environment in the context of improving condominium management practices. Employing concepts of intermediation and institutionalisation, we analyse the practice of the organisation Proyecto Propio. We describe the dynamics of the intermediary role as implementer of housing policy and catalyst of social innovation, and the institutionalisation of these practices. The main characteristic of their intermediary role in condominium management practices is a holistic approach as implementer and catalyst for complex interventions, situating the users at the centre of the process. The main challenges are related to institutionalisation: the inclusion of more incentives to scale up and consolidate the third sector as a relevant actor in housing and condominium management. ... Read more

The management of condominiums represents fruitful area for collaborative approaches and community-led initiatives. However, in the context of social vulnerability, co-owners face internal financial and social constraints along with context’s externalities that may diminish the potential of community organisation. The result is poor maintenance and management and thereby, accelerated processes of housing and neighbourhood deterioration and devaluation.
In this context, intermediary organisations may act as enablers, facilitating access to opportunities and resources between communities and public/private institutions. Using the case study of a Chilean social enterprise, the paper seeks to answer the following question: what is the intermediary role of social enterprises in affordable condominium management encouraging collaborative approaches?. The methods used are literature review and semi-structured interviews with professionals and clients of intermediary organisations’ case studies. The paper will discuss the relation between the characteristics of the community, the strategies implemented by the intermediary and the results achieved in a specific institutional and cultural background. The results aim to contribute to the understanding of organisational dynamics and opportunities of intermediary organisations for collaborative management of affordable condominiums in Chile. ... Read more