8 December 1995. The Freedom Union Councillors’ Club in Bolesławiec organised a discussion entitled “Social Building Society – a Chance for Housing”, with the participation of Member of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland Marcin Zawiła. The initiative of Stefania Łomnicka, chairwoman of the Freedom Union Councillors’ Club, deserves the highest recognition, because the problem of homeless people and providing young married couples with a home of their own is becoming a genuine social challenge, regardless of the political option in power at the national level or within the local self-government community. Bolesławiec is successfully trying to address this issue through social housing, but this is merely a proverbial drop in the ocean of dramatic needs. We will return to the subject of municipal housing investments on Kościuszki Street in a separate publication
The meeting was attended, among others, by councillors from the Municipal Infrastructure, Spatial Planning and Construction Committee, representatives of three local banks – Zachodni, “Cuprum” and PKO, the “Bolesławianka” Housing Cooperative, and the Guild of Various Crafts, not counting the Mayor and his deputies. This demonstrates the event’s importance on the local scale and the level of interest in the subject under discussion. The Jelenia Góra MP presented those gathered with selected issues from the parliamentary act on certain forms of support for housing construction, published in the “Journal of Laws” No. 133/95. In essence, this involved government support for the idea of establishing a Social Building Society, together with guarantees and financial assistance. Participants representing the local Housing Cooperative and banks warned against reckless revolutionary enthusiasm and pointed to credit traps and shortcomings in the formal and legal arrangements, especially when compared, for example, with the favourable credit offer from PKO bank concerning construction. It appears that the provisions contained in the parliamentary act do not constitute a particularly attractive alternative for the development of housing construction (small flats, very expensive, although warm and environmentally safe). The issue was presented to those interested in a reliable manner, and this should undoubtedly be regarded as the meeting’s success.