SoHab - Association de Solidarité pour l'Habitat

What SoHab - Association de Solidarité pour l'Habitat does

SoHab - Association de Solidarité pour l'Habitat is a Brussels-based non-profit association (Association Sans But Lucratif, ASBL) founded in December 1988 and headquartered at Chaussée d'Ixelles 29/9, Ixelles, Belgium. Originally registered as "Habitat & Rénovation," the organization rebranded to SoHab in January 2025 following a two-year internal strategic reorientation with its 45-member team. SoHab delivers social urban development services through five interconnected action domains: neighborhood development, participatory housing (COLISO² model), social and solidarity real estate agency (AIS/AISOL), renovation advisory (Rénovations et Usages), and international solidarity.

SoHab operates four COLISO² (Co-Living Social & Solidaire) participatory housing residences — Village Sainte-Anne (51 units, ~140 residents since April 2024), Pâturage (11 units, ~28 residents since December 2023), Bara (33 units, ~100 residents since November 2024), and Vander Bruggen (23 units, ~80 residents since February 2026) — totaling over 115 housing units for households in precarity. Its Agence Immobilière Sociale et Solidaire manages 500+ social rental units on behalf of 105 solidary property owners at rents averaging 25% below market rates. The Rénovations et Usages service supported 499 households in 2025. Direct delivery occurs through neighborhood offices and tiers-lieux (third places) across 6 priority Brussels neighborhoods (Marolles, Senne, Quartier Nord, Bempt, Ixelles, Forest, Anderlecht).

The revenue model combines regional public subsidies (urban.brussels, Ville de Bruxelles, Commune de Forest), management fees from 105 property owners, individual donations via Assoconnect (without Belgian tax deduction), and property donations/legacies at a favorable 12% tax rate. SoHab is a member of the Réseau Habitat (9 associations reaching 15,000+ Brussels residents annually) and co-founded the FAPACS federation in 2025. Customer outcomes are documented in an annual impact report: 92% of COLISO² residents report improved physical well-being, 83% of Agency tenants report improved financial situation, and 85% report community belonging. Distribution is direct (no commercial channel) via field offices and institutional referral partners including CPAS (Public Social Welfare Centers) and SISP (Social Housing Companies).

Name

SoHab - Association de Solidarité pour l'Habitat

Legal name

SoHab – Association de Solidarité pour l'Habitat

Website

https://sohab.be

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

SoHab is a Brussels-based non-profit association (ASBL) founded in 1988 that delivers integrated social urban development services — participatory COLISO² housing, social real estate agency, renovation advisory, neighborhood development, and international solidarity — to households in precarity and solidary property owners across 6 priority neighborhoods of the Brussels-Capital Region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Housing Services

NAICS

Other Community Housing Services (624229), Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242), Rooming and Boarding Houses, Dormitories, and Workers' Camps (72131)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-To Dwellings & Other Buildings (7340)

akta.pro primary industry

Infrastructure, Housing & Community Development (BPAGABAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Affordable Housing & Community Development (Housing, Community Land Trusts) (BPAGALAC), Co-Living / Hybrid Extended-Stay Residences (THAGAEAK)

Keywords

• Social housing management
• Community development services
• Renovation advisory services
• Participatory urban planning
• Neighborhood revitalization

Headquarters

HQ city

Brussels (Ixelles)

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices16 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Property management fees: SoHab operates an Agence Immobilière Sociale (AIS) managing rental housing on behalf of private and public owners for households in precarious situations. Revenue is generated through management fees from rental property oversight.
2. Government subsidies and public funding: SoHab receives subsidies and grants from the Brussels-Capital Region, urban.brussels, and other regional bodies for neighborhood development, social housing, and renovation projects. The organization's sustainability is under threat from government austerity measures targeting the housing sector.
3. Donations: Individual donors can make one-time financial contributions via the Assoconnect platform or bank transfer. Donations support the organization's missions but do not currently qualify for tax deductions in Belgium.
4. Property donations and legacies: SoHab receives property donations and legacies (particularly real estate), which are used to increase the portfolio of social rental housing. Benefactors receive favorable tax treatment (12% rate).
5. Renovation advisory and assistance services: SoHab provides architectural and technical advisory services to owners and tenants for building renovation, energy performance, and housing quality improvements, including free or reduced-cost services for low-income households.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

SoHab is a non-profit social urban development association that delivers five integrated services in Brussels: neighborhood development, participatory co-living social housing (COLISO²), social and solidarity real estate agency services (AIS/AISOL), renovation and energy advisory, and international solidarity education. It manages over 500 social rental housing units through its Agence Immobilière Sociale and operates four COLISO² residences with 118+ housing units providing participatory housing to households in precarity.

Product overview

SoHab is a non-profit association for solidarity in housing that operates as a multi-service social urban development organization. The core portfolio consists of five interconnected services: (1) Développement des Quartiers for neighborhood development, (2) Habitat Participatif COLISO² for participatory co-living housing, (3) Agence Immobilière Sociale et Solidaire for social real estate management, (4) Rénovations et Usages for renovation support, and (5) Solidarité Internationale for international solidarity. The organization manages four residential properties (Village Sainte-Anne, Pâturage, Bara, and Vander Bruggen) totaling over 115 housing units under the COLISO² participatory model. Publications including the annual Impact Report, Renovation Notebooks, and Group Renovation Guide disseminate knowledge and methodologies developed through their work.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Développement des Quartiers (Neighborhood Development) Local development initiatives supporting social aid programs, popular education, socio-economic revitalization, and urban planning in Brussels priority neighborhoods (Marolles, Senne, Quartier Nord, Bempt, Ixelles/Etterbeek). SoHab facilitates community engagement, citizen participation, and neighborhood improvement projects across six priority neighborhoods.
• Habitat Participatif COLISO² (Participatory Co-Living Social & Solidaire) Participatory housing model where tenants actively participate in the design, implementation, and management of their living space. Promotes mutual aid, citizen engagement, and quality of life for people at risk of precarity through accompaniment to autonomy, community governance, and neighborhood integration.
• Agence Immobilière Sociale et Solidaire (Social & Solidarity Real Estate Agency) Non-profit real estate agency combating speculation in Brussels' private rental market. Offers property management, brokerage, and housing search services for households in precarity. Includes AIS (Agence Immobilière Sociale) for households in strong precarity with regulated rents ~25% below market, and AISOL (Agence Immobilière Solidaire) for lower-middle-class households at solidarity rents negotiated at or below reference rents. Provides management services to 105 property owners including administrative, financial, technical, and social management with fiscal incentives.
• Rénovations et Usages (Renovations & Uses) Administrative and technical assistance to property owners and tenant households on safety, habitability, comfort, and energy performance. Provides renovation advice, project management support, and guidance on building maintenance and energy efficiency. Includes architect-advisors who supported 499 households in 2025.
• Solidarité Internationale (International Solidarity) Global citizenship education programs (Education aux Citoyennetés Mondiales & Solidaires - ECMS), cooperation for dignified housing development in other cities and countries, and participation in international networks. Includes the SOHO.Senne project for citizenship education of vulnerable youth.
• COLISO² Village Sainte-Anne 51-unit participatory housing residence in Anderlecht (Place de la Vaillance), housing 140+ people in precarity since April 2024. Developed in partnership with Rafaël association, featuring common spaces, community areas, and embedded social services including a food bank, social laundromat, homework school, and participatory restaurant (Maison Broeck).
• COLISO² Pâturage 11-unit high-energy-performance social housing residence in Neder-over-Heembeek (Rue du Molenblok), housing 14 adults and 14 children (aged 0-15) in precarity since December 2023. Features an 80m² common room and community garden.
• COLISO² Bara 33-unit participatory housing residence in Anderlecht (Rue Bara), housing ~100 people including primarily single mothers since November 2024. Features a 100m² multipurpose room, shared gardens, and community spaces. Built on the former SNCB training center site managed by Les Petits Riens.
• COLISO² Vander Bruggen 23-unit intergenerative social housing residence in Anderlecht (Avenue Raymond Vander Bruggen), housing 80+ people in precarity since February 2026. Features a 100m² multipurpose room, 95m² covered playground, 300m² garden, and 130m² rooftop terrace. Developed in partnership with Inclusio, designed by architect Alta with general contractor Setip.
• Rapport d'Impact SoHab (Impact Report) Annual publication documenting the concrete transformations SoHab contributes to, alongside the inhabitants it supports, covering all five action domains.
• Guide de Rénovation Groupée (Group Renovation Guide) Reference guide for implementing group renovation projects, based on SoHab's RéGA (Rénovation Groupée Accompagnée) pilot project experience (2023-2025), providing practical methodology for collective renovation approaches. Awarded the Prix Renolab.ID in 2022.

Quantifiable outcome

• 92% of COLISO² residents attribute improved physical well-being to their housing
• +10 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Rafaël (Catholic social housing operator)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRafaël is the site manager of the Village Sainte-Anne complex in Anderlecht. SoHab partners with Rafaël to operate the COLISO² social housing residence within this mixed-use social site that also includes a food bank, social laundromat, homework help school, day centers, and a formation center for newcomers.
• Les Petits RienscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLes Petits Riens manages the Bara site for a private philanthropist family and operates the nearby 'Parenté' mother-and-child shelter. SoHab is the rental management operator for the 33-unit COLISO² Bara residence built on the former SNCB training center.
• InclusiocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInclusio is the property owner, developer, and site manager of the Vander Bruggen COLISO² residence. The company acquired the former industrial site in 2022 and commissioned renovation by architect Alta and general contractor Setip. SoHab serves as the rental management operator for the 23-unit residence opened February 2026.
• Centre d'Écologie UrbainecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the VilHa.Marolles project (CRU7 climate adaptation and urban development initiative) alongside SoHab, Chantiers Battues, and Alive Architecture. Collaborates on thermal stress vulnerability diagnostics and climate resilience solutions for neighborhoods near Brussels-Midi station.
• Alive ArchitecturecoreTechnology or IntegrationArchitecture firm providing co-design and technical expertise for the KapLAB project (modular street furniture) and VilHa.Marolles project (climate adaptation). Partners with SoHab on co-construction of public space interventions.
• Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts (Master Urban Design)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudents from the Master's program in Urban Design at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts participate in the KapLAB co-design workshops, contributing creative expertise to the modular street furniture project.
• Institut De Mot-CouvreurminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal school whose students and users are the primary beneficiaries and co-designers of the KapLAB street furniture project in the neighborhood surrounding the school.
• Chantiers BattuescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the VilHa.Marolles project (CRU7) contributing to climate adaptation and urban development work in the neighborhoods surrounding Brussels-Midi station.
• MetXminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the VilHa.Marolles project contributing to citizen engagement and participatory urban development processes around the CRU7 transformation zone.
• AMO-NOH (Service d'accompagnement des jeunes et des familles, Neder-over-Heembeek)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerYouth and family support service located next to the Pâturage COLISO² residence, providing psychosocial support to residents, particularly mothers with children aged 0-3.
• Maison de la Création and Maison de Saint-NicolasminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerActive sociocultural organizations in the Neder-over-Heembeek neighborhood, forming part of the local ecosystem that the Pâturage COLISO² residence connects with for community integration.
• Laure Stroobandt (illustrator/artist)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResident artist and illustrator who creates annual artistic journals documenting the Decibel project at the Bempt neighborhood, mixing watercolors and text to capture the project's actors, spaces, milestones, impacts, and challenges.
• Financité ASBLminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides monthly financial literacy workshops at the Bara COLISO² residence, helping residents develop individual and collective budgeting skills as part of the community building process.
• Ma Broeck ASBLminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPromoter of a participative neighborhood restaurant at Village Sainte-Anne. Occupies 200m² of professional catering space intended to become the nerve center of the Village Sainte-Anne community.
• Réseau HabitatcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSoHab is one of 9 member associations of the Réseau Habitat, a network active for over 30 years in Brussels promoting housing quality and neighborhood development. The network reaches 15,000+ people annually. The network faces existential funding threats from Brussels government austerity policies.
• FAPACS (Fédération des Associations bruxelloises de Cohésion Sociale)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSoHab is co-founder of FAPACS, a federation of Brussels social cohesion associations created in 2025 to advocate for structural change through collective alliances.
• COTA (Coopération en Techniques Appropriatees)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommissioned by SoHab to analyze the SOHO.Senne project (citizenship education for vulnerable youth), producing a capitalization report on international solidarity education and local engagement.
• ULB-IGEATminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversité Libre de Bruxelles institute that collaborated with SoHab on a study of student housing precariousness in the Petite Suisse neighborhood.
• CPAS / OCMW (Centres Publics d'Action Sociale)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublic social welfare centers in Brussels provide referrals of precarity households to SoHab's housing services and participate in multi-actor cooperation initiatives. CPAS Ixelles also has a delegate on SoHab's Board of Directors.

Scale indicators19 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Habitat et Humanisme: French social housing nonprofit operating both managed social rental agencies and participatory housing residences for precarious households across France. Operates the same dual AIS + participatory housing model.
• Rafaël ASBL: Brussels Catholic social housing operator managing multi-service sites for precarity populations. Direct partner on Village Sainte-Anne COLISO²; comparable in operating mixed-use social housing complexes with embedded services.
• Logement pour Tous: Wallonia social housing nonprofit operating as a recognized Agence Immobilière Sociale providing rental management for private property owners to house precarious households. Sister Réseau Habitat member and direct comparable on AIS/AISOL services.
• Les Petits Riens: Brussels nonprofit providing social and housing support to precarity populations, including second-hand retail and shelter operations. Direct partner on COLISO² Bara and comparable in managing multi-service social housing complexes in Brussels.
• Emmaüs Solidarité: French nonprofit providing emergency shelter, transitional housing, and long-term social housing support to people in precarious situations. Comparable mission and operational structure combining temporary shelter, social rental, and community accompaniment.
• Fédération des Compagnons Bâtisseurs: Federation of Brussels Wallonia associations supporting housing precarity through self-build renovation, technical accompaniment, and collective housing projects. Sister Réseau Habitat member with overlapping participatory housing and renovation advisory missions.
• Inclusio: Belgian impact investor and social housing operator (publicly listed SICAFI) that acquires and develops affordable housing. Direct partner on COLISO² Vander Bruggen and comparable in mission of channeling private capital into precarious housing in Brussels.

Broad incumbents

• Fondation Abbé Pierre: Major French nonprofit advocating for and operating housing solutions for precarious and homeless populations. Comparable in mission scope (advocacy + housing provision) though operating at national scale.

Regional players

• Le Foyer Anderlechtois (SISP): Brussels social housing company (SISP) operating public social housing in Anderlecht. Comparable in operating social housing in underserved Brussels neighborhoods and partnering with the same municipal authorities.

Others

• Fédération des Agences Immobilières Sociales de Bruxelles (FAISAB): Umbrella federation of Brussels social real estate agencies including SoHab's AIS. Comparable regulatory ecosystem and peer-set governing agency designation, fiscal incentives, and AIS standards.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/sohab.be
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sohab-asbl

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SoHab - Association de Solidarité pour l'Habitat