Project in Basel – Maintain neighborhood and pay less rent – News

Students, pensioners and disabled people under one roof: a new form of coexistence is being tried out in Basel.

Until a few months ago, at Socinstrasse 55 in Basel, you could get advice and vaccinations before going abroad at the travel center of the former Tropical Institute (Swiss TPH). The old “Tropeli” is history with the move of the TPH to Allschwil. From autumn 2025, a new chapter will open on Socinstrasse: a new form of coexistence will be tried out in the “Socin House”.

“We are creating a public meeting place and an accompanied home,” says Daniel Stolz, director of the BSB community hospital, which is part of the Basel community and is behind the project.

Care effort: eight to twelve hours per week

The idea: Young people, students, seniors and people with disabilities live under one roof. But that’s not all. What’s special about the Socin House: A condition in the rental agreement for the students is that they take on care tasks for the elderly and people with disabilities.

This reduces your rent – ​​care instead of rent, so to speak. The rent share reduces the more you help out around the house. “We expect around eight to twelve hours of effort per week,” says Franziska Reinhard, Head of Care for the Elderly at BSB.

Legend:

Franziska Reinhard and Marcel Hügi from BSB.

SRF/Hanna Girard

The project aims to live an active neighborhood. For this to happen, the residents have to be open and willing to get involved, says Reinhard. People who are secretive would hardly be an option. There are already similar projects in Zurich and Holland, from which people were inspired.

Your own recipes, your own cakes

The project is still in its early stages. The 12 million franc renovation work will begin in the next few days. But it is already clear that a bistro will be built on the ground floor as the heart of the house.

The older residents should be actively involved in the operation of the bistro, entertaining guests and helping in the kitchen. “The idea is that older people, for example, bring their own recipes and bake their own cakes,” says Reinhard.

Legend:

The renovation work in the Socin House will begin in mid-April.

SRF/Hanna Girard

20 two-room apartments and three one-room studios for students are planned above the bistro. The exact form of coexistence should then be determined by the future residents. “We are excited to see how this develops,” says Marcel Hügi, Head of Integration at BSB.

A meeting point for the neighborhood and the city

The project seems to be generating interest. Even before the public was informed, people had come forward, confirms Reinhard.

She is convinced: “The Socin House will be a meeting point for the neighborhood and the city and invites people to linger, work and meet together.”