Social housing: a more even distribution of tenants would reduce residential segregation

Despite a better distribution of social housing between cities in the same urban area, the distribution of tenants could be more socially homogeneous in order to reduce residential segregation, according to an analysis by INSEE published a few days ago.

Social housing has been better distributed in large urban areas and metropolitan areas since the 2000s and the SRU law (Solidarity and Urban Renewal), but HLM remains "very concentrated in certain neighborhoods", generating "pockets of poverty", according to INSEE which studies 34 urban units of more than 200.000 inhabitants.

"Social housing brings social diversity to neighborhoods, especially in the affluent areas where it is present," the author notes. Residential segregation, which also depends on the location of households in the private sector, remains "high" in France and "has even increased since 2004 in most major cities."

However, it contributes "to school segregation through school zoning, thus affecting equal opportunities." It also hinders access to employment for residents of disadvantaged neighborhoods.

Moreover, social housing tenants living in modest neighborhoods are "on average the poorest", while those residing in affluent neighborhoods are on average "slightly less modest".

The author points out that the poorest 10% of social housing residents have an income "less than 9.610 euros per year", while the least poorest 10% of social housing residents have a standard of living "greater than 25.880 euros per year", or 2,7 times more.

Several factors also explain the unequal distribution of social housing tenants. Housing with lower rent levels, built between 1960 and 1975, located in priority urban policy areas (QPV), is both "more often rented by modest households" and also "more frequent in modest neighborhoods".

On the other hand, allocation committees can "direct allocations towards less modest households or towards certain professions, depending on the type of housing and its location".

Social housing in affluent neighborhoods is indeed more often intermediate housing, with higher rent levels.

Finally, less modest households eligible for social housing more often have alternatives for housing in the private sector and can therefore "direct their housing demand towards wealthier neighborhoods", unlike the most modest households.

According to the author, a homogeneous distribution of tenants within the social housing stock according to their standard of living would reduce residential segregation "by an average of 14%".

Image illustrating the article via Depositphotos.com.