insulation, water savings or new greenery.
Heimstaden promotes positive values, is
motivated to improve the high quality of our
real estate and locations wherever they are,
and we want all of these to contribute to
a better quality of life for our clients.
There are obvious efforts to make our
homes energy-efficient and climate-change
resistant. One of our most important projects,
therefore, is additional heat insulation of
entire blocks of flats, which includes 8,644
flats in prefab and 612 flats in brick blocks.
In 2020, we installed this insulation in 1,100
flats and, in implementing this project,
we annually decrease CO2 emissions by
1,794 tons. From 2021, we will be investing
350,000,000 CZK annually in order to
install heating insulation in up to 2,000 flats
every year. Another significant project in
ecological sustainability is represented in
104 new flats heated in a more ecological
way, as well as reduced water consumption
where economizers have been installed.
About 80,000 inhabitants
of the Moravian-Silesian Region live in
Heimstaden flats. How much social
responsibility does that mean?
Even though our company’s priority is to
maintain a high-quality portfolio of real estate,
to keep all legislation, to renew and improve
our property, we are also busy in other
initiatives beneficial to wider communities of
citizens in our region. The long-term project
Home with Us (S námi domů) supports
young people leaving foster homes and foster
care, starting independent lives by providing
them with homes on preferential terms and
with a social support service.
We run programmes for various client groups,
we are one of the greatest providers of rental
homes for those in need, we cooperate
with twenty non-profit organizations,
rank among the main partners of the Clean
Beskid (Čisté Beskydy) event, etc. We placed
second in the Governor of the MoravianSilesian Region in Social Responsibility
Awards for these activities.
Sweden and other countries in northern
Europe pay great attention to seniors.
Heimstaden has been a good example in
this aspect for many years.
Crucial services offered by Heimstaden
include Senior Assistant, which is suitable
for seniors and individuals with physical
challenges, limited in their power or ability
to look after their personal needs.
“
The key values
of Heimstaden include
care -- dare -- share.
”
The community centres Archa in Ostrava–
Poruba, Karviná and the Multigeneration
Centre Lučina in Havířov are very
well-received, as is the project Hello, You’re
Not Alone (Haló, nejste sami!), which
provides phone assistance from students
to seniors in the pandemic. Two blocks in
Havířov are being renovated to provide small,
barrier-free flats for seniors which include
services the seniors need. Demographic
studies show these services will be highly
sought after, however, the market does not
offer enough products of this kind.
The terms “care -- dare -- share” represent
the key values of the company. What is the
perspective here?
Besides the high-quality maintenance
and administration of our current flats,
Heimstaden is also developing the
vision of a growing portfolio and future
investments. In 2021, we want to spend
a total of 1.5 billion CZK on maintenance
and investments, which is twenty-five per
cent more than in 2020. The money will be
spent on heat insulation, garrets, renovations
in the locations V zahrádkách in Ostrava,
Kunčičky, Ostrava, Michálkovice and
Havířov-Šumbark. Our investment plan in
2021 covers over 300 entrances and over
5,000 homes. In 2021, we will be finishing
our strategy for housing colonies where
we own about a thousand houses to be
renewed.
A very important step to highlight in the
protection of the environment is the increase
of investments in heat insulation by fifty per
cent and speeding up that process. Within
five to seven years, we intend to eliminate
coal heating and considerably reduce
emissions of CO2. We want to offer our
clients attractive and modern homes, and
we want to protect the environment as well.
We mean to promote a good image
and competitiveness in the MoravianSilesian Region through our sponsorship
programmes. We want its people to live
happy lives here and to be happy when
coming back.
You are a Moravian-Silesian patriot. Where
in our region would you take foreign
visitors, and what would you recommend
to eat?
I would certainly invite them to the
mountains, either to my beloved Beskids,
the peaks of Lysá Hora or Radhošť, or to the
Jeseník Mountains. They could try traditional
goulash, sirloin with cream sauce, or
blueberry dumplings. I would love to show
them round the Lower Area of Vítkovice in
Ostrava to introduce them to the industrial
history of our region.
Thank you for the interview.
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