Spin Time offers lessons on social housing and right to housing
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In Rome, Italy, approximately 400 people, including children and elderly residents, faced homelessness after authorities cleared the Spin Time social housing complex.
Though temporary housing has been found for everyone displaced, residents prioritize returning to the building on Via Santa Croce in Gerusalemme. The situation has prompted discussion about how cities can better address the right to housing, going beyond simply providing shelter. Spin Time demonstrated that housing means more than just a roof over one’s head.
The complex fostered inclusion through access to employment, education, healthcare, and strong social networks, ensuring no one felt isolated. This success, built over ten years by activists, raises questions about why public administrations struggle to replicate such community-based welfare models in social housing. The experience suggests shifting the focus from housing as a temporary service to housing as a right, and from providing shelter to building supportive communities.
Spin Time featured communal spaces like kitchens, after-school programs, co-working areas, and workshops, with residents actively participating in the complex’s upkeep and daily life. Advocates suggest incorporating similar shared spaces into future public housing projects, opening them to the surrounding neighborhoods to promote social integration and a sense of belonging.
