"In my Backyard" Housing Solutions for Asylum-Seekers

Description of the project by DAT Pangea and Quatorze

From home to border

If both refugees and asylum-seekers suffer the loss of their home and social nerworks, traumatism, acculturation and linguistic challenges, they are different: the first are legally welcome and the therefore generally perceived as such, while the latter have to deal with instability and illegitimacy in the eye of the native citizen and a strong out-of-place feeling. Housing propositions in moments of asylum-seekers afflux have shown to be problematic when conceived in strictly temporary and marginalized terms. We have examples of disfigured lands and cities as well as almost total separation between "locals" and refugees, in Lebanon with Palestinian camps

Tiny beginnings

"In my Backyard" aims to relieve the traumatism of asylum by proposing a means to start a new life and chance to feel at home, empowering asylum seekers by way of an offer of solidarity that involves, per sé, Finnish citizens willing to commit to welcoming the asylum-seekers. In my backyard develops tiny homes, proposing temporary housing solutions for asylum-seekers awaiting on their refugees status and, their status having been accepted, for refugees, IF they want to keep on with the experience. The tiny homes are design, as well as their technical outfits -net zero energy house- allows the dispositive to be a component of the development of cities, not only for asylum seekers, but also for Finnish citizens that would choose to live in such tiny homes.

Co-working & co-living

Based on a network of citizens and entrepreneurs willing to host a "tiny home in their backyard, IMBY proposes a parallel program to the already existing Finnish system to receptioning refugees, adressing longer-term challenges. Our project supports the integration of asylum-seekers into Finnish society and their acculturation in the local community, and offers a positive experience of living and working in Finland - empowerment - turning the obstacle embodied by the afflux of asylum-seekers - socially and economically - into opportunity. By living together both Finnish volunteers and refugees will break the traditional polarization of "us/them", "them" becoming a part of "us".

Contributive city

The ISA (Integration Solution Accomodation) based on an open source license, is thought to enable significant economies of scale, as well as developing the construction industry, by incorporating the professional training program in the production process. IMBY will use local resources of wood extracted by Finnish enterprises situated near to cities welcoming asylum-seekers in the whole country. The induction of migrants into buildings houses for arriving migrants enables them to be directly involved in a social and economical ecosystem where they will have the opportunity to develop their own competences and to interact with enterprises and the local population. Being actors of housing constructions, as well as