Just a Change

Just a Change is a non-profit association in Portugal that rebuilds homes for people in housing poverty. Its slogan sums up the approach: reabilitamos casas, reconstruímos vidas, we rebuild houses, we rebuild lives. Volunteers, not paid contractors, do the physical work of renovation. Founded in 2010, the organisation has carried out more than 950 interventions, renovating over 670 family homes and 280 social institutions. It reports impact on more than 28,000 beneficiaries, including 1,200 residents of private homes and 27,500 users of partner institutions. More than 34,700 volunteers, both independent and corporate, have taken part across over 40 municipalities in Portugal. The organisation runs several structured programmes. Turn Up runs during the school year, with weekly four-hour shifts in Lisbon, Porto and Guimarães over about a month. Bootcamp is a one-week intensive push at the start of each semester in Lisbon, Porto and Minho. Camp In takes place over the summer, with 15-day camps held across the country that generate social impact in local communities. All In is a single intensive day where companies bring their employees to work directly on renovation sites. Just a Change has been recognised externally: a Bronze Award in the 2020 World Habitat Awards for its Camp In programme, distinctions from Prémios Do Something in 2015 and 2016, a Youth Volunteering Montepio prize in 2016, and a €25,000 Microsoft International grant supporting its Turn Up programme. It is registered as an Instituição Particular de Solidariedade Social (IPSS) and its registered office is on Rua da Indústria in Lisbon.