The initiative promoted by the Foqus Foundation, the Co.Re. Consortium, and the Spanish Quarters Association, in collaboration with the municipal administration, with the support of Guber Banca and the Etica Foundation, was presented in the Council Chamber of the Municipality.
A 200-square-meter apartment in the heart of Naples confiscated from the Camorra will house Casa Comune, the first co-housing project for young people with autism, offering them opportunities for independence, socialization, training, and employment. The project is conceived and implemented by Foqus-Fondazione Quartieri Spagnoli, Consorzio Co.Re., and Associazione Quartieri Spagnoli, united in a temporary business association (ATI), to which the confiscated property was assigned by the City of Naples.
The project was presented at Palazzo San Giacomo, the Town Hall, during a press conference attended by the deputy mayor Laura Lieto (also councilor for City Planning), the councilors Luca Trapanese (Welfare) and Antonio De Iesu (Legality), FOQUS director Renato Quaglia, the director of the Argo Center Sarah Mancini, Giovanpaolo Gaudino for Co.Re. Consortium, Giovanni Laino for Associazione Quartieri Spagnoli, the CEO of Guber Banca Francesco Guarneri and the honorary president of the Fondazione Etica, Paola Caporossi.
The apartment assigned to the Quartieri Spagnoli temporary housing association is located on Via del Formale, near Piazza Carità. It comprises two floors, plus a roof terrace, and will be completely renovated thanks to an innovative social financing program promoted by Guber Banca and the support of the City of Naples.
The premises will house the youth of Argo, a day rehabilitation center for children, teens, and adults with cognitive disabilities, founded by Foqus in 2016. The Common House represents the natural evolution of the Argo Center experience: in the new premises, guests, supported by qualified staff, will experience progressive independence from their family environment and a gradual integration into the world of work. This independent living experience will also take on a professional dimension, as the young guests will be involved in a chocolate bar and pastry production project.
The youth will also be involved in hosting the home on weekends. The project also includes hosting weekends for social workers from other cities, who will be able to take guided tours of Napoli Solidale and the most significant third sector organizations working in Naples. This solidarity tourism initiative will promote itineraries through the social city and a different approach to its cultural heritage.
This project will be managed primarily by the Co.Re. Consortium and the Spanish Quarters Association. The facility will thus be able to accommodate women in need for short periods. To begin all the project's activities, major renovations will be necessary to the building, which is in a state of profound neglect. Construction is scheduled to begin in March. The renovation and repurposing of the house, based on a design by Engineer Giuseppe Lombardi, will be entrusted to the Bono Srl engineering company and Aeffe & Partner Srl, which will also contribute to the project.
The project's financing method is innovative: in February 2022, Guber Banca, a private bank based in Brescia, launched its first time deposit account dedicated to an innovation project with a social impact, at the initiative of Fondazione Etica and Fondazione Foqus. Drawing inspiration from the "solidarity bonds" introduced by Law 106 of 2016, Guber Banca decided to offer private savers the opportunity to open an 18-month time deposit account, offering a dual return: on the one hand, an interest rate paid to the customer, and on the other, a tangible contribution to the Neapolitan project.
In addition to the interest accrued by each customer on the deposit account, Guber Banca is committed to paying an additional 0.50% per year of the sums pledged for the construction of the Casa Comune in Naples, receiving widespread support from its customers for the project.
The participation of Guber, a challenger bank with Brescian roots, in a social initiative born in the heart of working-class Naples, among the most disadvantaged areas of the city, characterized by extremely high population density and worrying rates of unemployment, crime, and school dropout, is particularly significant. This gesture outlines an ideal North-South bridge under the banner of solidarity and sustainability.
The initiative also benefits from the experience and support of Fondazione Etica, which has long been committed to leveraging savings in social impact programs. The Casa Comune project therefore represents a further step toward systematizing a new way of financing social issues.
