The Family Erik Banck’s Foundation was founded in 1938. Erik and his wife Therese, known as Ese, had a lot of love for the city of Helsingborg. Donations from the family’s funds contributed greatly to the city’s development and laid the foundation for several iconic buildings, such as Helsingborg Concert Hall, Österhemmet, and the childrens hospital Banckska barnsjukhuset.
In 1935, Erik and the family’s eldest son died in a car accident. In the midst of this tragedy, Ese managed to turn her sorrow into something constructive. She started a foundation in her husband’s memory and donated a large sum of money to be primarily used for housing the elderly of Helsingborg who lacked financial resources. Ese Banck’s generous philosophy characterises the foundation’s work today. Now new homes are being built in the heart of Helsingborg, with a number of apartments reserved for the elderly and needy. The foundation owns and manages properties at Slottshöjden in Norra Hamnen and Huset Ese Banck in SeaU.
“By giving people in different circumstances the opportunity to live in some of the city’s most attractive areas, we are part of creating vibrant, exciting, and safer home environments that enrich everyone.”
– Sven Rosenkvist, Chairman
The Family Erik Banck’s Foundation wants to show how creating attractive inner-city housing for people of different ages and with different financial circumstances can contribute to making Helsingborg an even more attractive and inclusive city.
The foundation is for the benefit of the public and has the goal of creating good rent-free housing for Helsingborg’s elderly. The residents don’t pay rent and instead only pay part of the operating costs, such as electricity, heating, and water. We are not creating elderly housing but rather attractive homes for individuals without special care needs. As of the autumn of 2020, the foundation has housing at Slottshöjden in Norra Hamnen and SeaU (Ångfärjan).
In what way will your involvement contribute to the development of Helsingborg and other cities?
By giving people in different circumstances the opportunity to live in some of the city’s most attractive areas, we are part of creating vibrant, exciting, and safer home environments that enrich everyone. We believe in a good mix of elderly and young people, pensioners and professionals.
In SeaU, we can show a building with subsidised apartments for the elderly mixed with rental apartments for young professionals. Fewer rentals in unique locations is an asset for the city in terms of attracting new residents and workers for the businesses. We also wanted to try to be a little innovative and create a boutique hostel in central Helsingborg. The revenue from the hostel enables us to create new opportunities for those in need.
A smart city is safe, and it provides and facilitates access for residents to a good social and physical environment. It’s a city that stimulates and utilises the drive and knowledge found in people, businesses, and organisations, and creates good conditions for all these groups to meet and collaborate in different forms.
In what way do you think H22 can make a difference in these times in which we are living following COVID-19?
By showing the value of safe and vibrant city environments, we can perhaps contribute to reducing the anxiety and isolation caused by COVID-19.
