On 13th July, 2026 the LeTS-Care team at the University of Porto took part in a webinar organised together with a regional branch of EAPN (European Anti-Poverty Network), bringing together around 25 participants from associations active in Bragança, Viseu, Guarda and Castelo Branco.
These are inland, mountain regions of northern Portugal, with an ageing population spread across small and very small villages, limited coverage of formal long-term care, and a geography that makes distances hard to overcome. Classic challenging territories, as we like to call them.
EAPN reached out to the LeTs-Care team directly. Their associates see, in collaborative housing, a possible answer to the challenges of ageing in isolated areas, but the concept itself is still quite new in Portugal. Together, we looked critically at what collaborative housing means in other countries, and what lessons could be drawn for these specific regions.
The level of interest proved encouraging. EAPN has subsequently extended an invitation to organise a follow‑up event, this time directed at local policy‑makers and municipalities. It is likely that this opportunity will be taken up, with an activity foreseen for early autumn.
