The study presents the design and the experimental characterization of a new energy dissipation device aimed at providing improved resistance to repeated seismic loads.  Differently from conventional steel hysteretic dampers, which dissipate energy by yielding of a mild steel core and are noted to be suffer from low-cycle fatigue, the new damper provides energy dissipation by the friction that is activated between a moving shaft and a lead core prestressed within a tube. The prestress level is controlled during the assembling process, allowing to adjust the axial strength of the damper. Since in the novel damper there are not elements subjected to yielding, repeated cycles of loading do not produce damages that may accrue eventually leading to failure of the device. Moreover, prestressing of the lead core allows to achieve high specific strength (i.e., high force to volume ratio), thereby providing a very compact design which turns out to reduce the architectural invasiveness of the damper in practical applications. Prototypes of the damper were subjected to the test procedure established in the European standard EN 15129 for Displacement Dependent Devices, fulfilling the relevant requirements. The damper provides a robust and stable response over repeated cycles, characterized by essentially rectangular hysteresis loops with an equivalent damping ratio ξ_eff of about 57%. Moreover, it shows low sensitivity of mechanical properties on the loading rate and the ability to withstand multiple cycles of motion at the design earthquake displacement without deterioration of performance, demonstrating maintenance-free operation in presence of repeated ground shakes. Its ability to accommodate several strong motions without being damaged, and its high damping capability coupled to a compact design and low manufacturing cost, are the distinctive features that make it suitable for social housing.