Social housing: more than 100.000 high-priority households waiting for one to fifteen years

In 2023, the number of households recognized as Dalo, in other words without housing, threatened with eviction or occupying unsanitary housing, and waiting for one to fifteen years, reached 102.969, specifies the report of the High Committee for the Right to Housing ( HCDL). This independent body created on the initiative of Abbé Pierre is attached to the Prime Minister.

The law since 2009 should allow 25% of housing allocations to these households.

However, it is "far from being respected", notes the High Committee, with "only around 5,6% of annual allocations" in 2022, and "the planned sanctions are never implemented".

“In 2022, 420.000 social housing units were allocated at the national level” and “the share of allocations to households recognized under the Dalo represents around 23.600 allocations”, he explains.

A shame when we know that these people are "at the heart of poor housing", underlines to AFP René Dutrey, secretary general of the HCDL, and knowing that a little more than half of these households (52,1%) have yet resources equal to or greater than the minimum wage.

“Two-thirds of Dalo households are active and occupy low-paid jobs, logistics, care, security, those who were called essential or front-line workers during Covid,” continues Mr. Dutrey, who supervised the report.

The publication of the report comes before the arrival in the Senate of an “affordable housing” bill which must be examined from June 18.

One of the provisions of the text particularly bothers the HCDL: it provides that the contingent of social housing allocated by the prefects can in the future be allocated by the Action Logement group.

“It would be a bad idea,” underlines Mr. Dutrey in view of the poor results recorded over the past fifteen years.

Action Logement, heir to the old 1% for housing, is a joint organization to which employees and employers contribute.

At the national level, the data available for 2022 shows a total of more than 14.000 missing allocations for Dalo households, particularly in Loire-Atlantique, Rhône and Gironde.