Requests reach 2.7 million, a new record

More than 1.8 million households are waiting for their first home and 870,000 already housed in the existing housing stock are waiting for a new one.

The number of applicants for social housing broke a new record in mid-June, with 2.7 million households registered in France, announced Emmanuelle Cosse, president of the Union sociale pour l’habitat (USH) which represents social landlords, on Wednesday, September 11. This figure represents an increase of 100,000 applicants compared to 2023, a “new record”.

In detail, more than 1.8 million households are waiting for their first home and 870,000 already housed in the existing housing stock are waiting for a new one. “It’s a demand that is increasing everywhere”commented Emmanuelle Cosse on Wednesday during a press conference. “We have seen an acceleration in demand in the first half of the year and that is what is relatively worrying.”pointed out the former Minister of Housing.

This deterioration is accompanied by a drop in the number of approvals for new social housing. Some 82,200 social housing units were approved in 2023, compared to 124,200 in 2016, for a total of 182,300. “lost housing” over the years, the USH takes into account the year 2016 as a reference. In addition to the effects of the health crisis and the war in Ukraine, donors blame the drop in the State’s production targets and the “solidarity rent reduction” (RLS) which has been imposed on them since 2018 to compensate for the five euro reduction in personalized housing assistance.

Emmanuelle Cosse also denounced a freeze on credits granted to the renovation of social housing. In October, at the closing of the HLM congress in Nantes, the former Minister of Housing Patrice Vergriete announced an envelope of 1.2 billion euros over three years, or 400 million euros per year, to renovate the social housing stock.

“The resigning government has not kept its commitments (…) This envelope has already been frozen without prior debate in July by [le ministre démissionnaire de l’economie] Bruno Le Maire by more than half”said Emmanuelle Cosse.