HEROES is an Interreg Europe project uniting ten regions across Europe to address the affordable housing crisis through policy improvements. Launched amid rising housing costs fueled by the COVID-19 pandemic, Ukraine conflict, Middle East tensions, energy price surges, and a cost-of-living squeeze, it targets shortages in rental supply hitting low- and middle-income households, young people, immigrants, and temporary workers.
The partnership includes local and regional authorities plus not-for-profit groups, with a lead partner overseeing implementation. Its interregional learning focuses on five areas: innovative financing models, inclusion of vulnerable populations, urban regeneration via collaborative housing and services, tenant empowerment, and community-driven governance for housing.
Activities center on exchanging experiences and building capacities for regional authorities to craft effective strategies, emphasizing neighborhood-level collaborative services. The project promotes mutualistic practices to create inclusive housing for middle-income families, drawing from front-runner actors sharing frontline insights on tackling urban pressures. No fixed start date is specified, but it operates under the EU-wide Interreg framework, which funds cross-border cooperation on regional challenges.