Valérie Létard reaffirms her commitment to social housing and emergency accommodation

Faced with the challenges of the housing crisis, the ministry underlines the importance of a strengthened partnership with community stakeholders, to guarantee decent housing for the most vulnerable and respond to social and ecological issues.

On the eve of the winter period, the Minister wanted to organize a meeting this morning to hear stakeholders on a major priority: emergency accommodation and access to housing for disadvantaged groups. Continuity of dialogue with the 27 historical associations and operators is necessary in order to build a framework for consultation that must continue to allow people to find a place in society.

She also attended the first National Day of the SOLIHA (Solidarity for Housing) movement because it is the government's responsibility to support, expand and supervise these actions so that they respond to current social and ecological issues. On this day, it is important to recall the duty to guarantee each citizen, especially the most vulnerable, decent, affordable and energy-efficient housing.

Three priorities are defined:

• Maintaining the park at its current level of 203.000 places, a figure that has been stable for 4 years. Particular attention will be paid to accommodation places dedicated to women victims of violence (around 11.000 places in the territory), as well as to specific support work for these women, including employment, health and education.
• Intensification of the "Housing First" plan. The plan has already produced promising results, with nearly 600.000 people gaining access to housing in 7 years.
• Strengthening access to employment for people accommodated in occupations under pressure.

Social housing and emergency accommodation: concrete priorities for the government

Today, these results, although significant, must improve. The share of social housing allocations to homeless households has doubled in six years, but it is necessary to intensify this dynamic to make it more homogeneous across the territory. The tools and levers needed to go further are present, in particular thanks to systems such as rental intermediation, of which SOLIHA is one of the main operators with nearly 25.000 managed housing units.

Emergency accommodation is a necessary response, but it is not sufficient. The government is determined to accelerate the transition from temporary accommodation to sustainable solutions: housing is not an end in itself, it is a springboard to broader inclusion in society. This is why the government combines housing policies with powerful social actions. Housing someone means supporting them towards training, employment, education, and health. Supporting people on the streets must go hand in hand with comprehensive support, mobilizing all public services.

Social support for precarious households must also include support for adapting housing to the challenges of autonomy and disability. In 2023, SOLIHA supported more than 23.000 seniors and people with disabilities in adapting their homes.

This work must continue and intensify, in close collaboration with local authorities and associations.