Case 5 from Germany Amaryllis Co-operative Society ... - ICA Housing

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33 Successful combination of self-interest and group interest in a co-operative society. Limits of open membership in a close housing community. II. Portrait of the co-operative society Name of Co-operative: Amaryllis eG Type of Co-operative: Housing Co-operative Society at primary society level, Multi-generation housing project (Wohnungsgenossenschaft − Mehrgenerationen- Wohnprojekt) Year of Formation: Amaryllis co-operative society (eG) 2005 formed by conversion of the Amaryllis association (e.V.) founded in 1992 Address: Wiesenpfad 18, D – 53757 Sankt Augustin Tel.: Tel.: +49 (0) 228 555 25 986 E-mail: www.amaryllis-bonn.de Person to contact: Silke Gross, Dorothea-Erxleben-Weg 8, 53229 Bonn Number of members: 46 adults aged between 26 and 85 and 20 children and young persons of less than 18 years. Number of dwellings: 32 Apartments, 26 of which financed privately and 6 under social housing programme plus one large apartment for collective living of 6 persons. Decision-making bodies: General Meeting (one member – one vote) Board of directors Supervisory committee Extended self-administration: Every inhabitant has a defined task in the cooperative society. Each contributes according to his/her talents and capabilities to reaching the aims of the co-operative society as an enterprise and as a group of persons. Weekly plenary meetings of all inhabitants Sources of finance: Each member has to sign at least one share of € 5,000 plus about 15 percent of the total cost of the apartment (i.e. some € 300 per m 2 ). There is no additional
liability of the member for debts of the co-operative society. Additional shares may be signed up to a total of € 50,000. 34 To increase the creditworthiness of the co-operative society vis-à-vis external investors, external sponsors were sought to serve as guarantors. A special fund created from contributions of members who are financially better off, issues loans to financially weaker members to help them pay-up their shares. Deposits and guarantees are administered in collaboration with a co-operative bank. Affiliation to federations and other organisations: • From 2005: Affiliation to a co-operative auditing federation, • Collaboration with a housing consultancy firm (WohnBund Beratung GmbH, Nordrhein Westfalen, NRW) for advice on acquisition of land, financial planning and drafting the by-laws of the co-operative society, • Agreements of co-operation with the competent authorities of the City of Bonn, the Federal State of NRW and a firm of architects. III. Description of the case Background information on aging Germans In Germany, every year the number of persons above the age of 65 grows by 500,000. Between 2003 and 2006 it has grown from 14.9 million to 16.3 million. The total of persons needing care has increased between 1991 and 2002 from 1.6 million to over 2 million and will reach 2.8 million by 2020. This means for all elderly persons who have no relatives to stay with and who would provide care that they will depend on stationary care. The family networks are becoming weaker. The distance between parents and their adult children is growing with decreasing contacts (as shown in a study presented by the German Federal Government on elderly citizens). This leaves the old with the choice between loneliness and stationary care. Preferences and options of elderly persons regarding their forms of living A survey carried out in Germany by the German Federal Government shows that only 6 percent of elderly persons would like to live in a common dwelling, while 19 percent would consider this as a possibility. The figures for other forms of living are as follows: Form of living Preference Possible option Residential care 9 % 35 %
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Case 5 from Germany Amaryllis Co-operative Society ... - ICA Housing

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