La Benefica is a housing cooperative founded in August 1901 in Novate Milanese, a municipality in the Milan metropolitan area. The organization emerged during a period of significant social transformation, when agricultural workers were migrating to Milan seeking employment in construction and better living conditions.
The cooperative was established by a group of workers, masons, and farmers who aimed to acquire land and construct affordable housing for laborers. They viewed homeownership as a means of improving conditions for the working class. In 1903, members built their first building on Via Garibaldi, followed by four additional structures over the next three decades.
La Benefica operates as a cooperative with undivided property ownership, meaning all members collectively own the cooperative's assets and participate in its management. By 2020, the organization had developed a portfolio of nearly 1,400 apartments, representing approximately 10 percent of rental housing available in Novate Milanese.
The cooperative celebrated its centennial in 2001 with a commemorative publication documenting its history. The organization maintains its headquarters at Via XXV Aprile 37 in Novate Milanese and continues to focus on construction and management of properties within the subsidized housing sector.
Throughout its 120-year history, La Benefica has remained committed to its founding mission of providing housing solutions for workers, adapting from its early focus on construction for homeownership to becoming a significant provider of rental accommodations in the local housing market.