“the State must remobilize itself in its discussion with local elected officials so that the law is applied”, declares the president of the Social Union for Housing

“Every time an elected official does not want to provide social housing, he refuses to house caregivers, police officers, teachers,” denounces Emmanuelle Cosse.

“The SRU law is 20 years old, we simply need everyone to apply the law and the State to re-engage in its discussion with local elected officials so that it is applied,” declared Tuesday, November 21 on franceinfo Emmanuelle Cosse, president of the Social Union for Housing. Only four out of ten municipalities affected by this law, which requires 20 to 25% of social housing in the real estate stock, respect it, according to a survey by franceinfo and France Bleu. 1,163 municipalities in France are below the threshold.

Emmanuelle Cosse shares her “anger” when she sees that “20 years later, municipalities have succeeded in this challenge and are at the end of 25%, while others have not even made 1% progress while there are 2.4 million households waiting for social housing “. Faced with the arguments of mayors who do not respect the SRU law, and who complain about the lack of land in their municipality, Emmanuelle Cosse responds that“there are many who have built private housing”And “invites everyone to look each time at the number of building permits issued during the year in the municipality”. According to the president of the social union for housing, “Everytime”, these constructions were for access to property for second homes and never for social housing.

According to David Lisnard, president of the Association of Mayors of France (AMF), the main reason for this non-compliance is the lack of land, which is “become very rare”, he declared Tuesday morning on Franceinfo.

However, argues Emmanuelle Cosse, “social housing houses France as it is, workers with modest incomes”, which represent, according to the former Minister of Housing and Sustainable Habitat, “more than half of French people”. However, adds Emmanuelle Cosse, “each time an elected official does not want to provide social housing, he refuses to house caregivers, police officers, teachers: these are the people who are housed in social housing. The mayors who refuse to apply the law deprive themselves of this strength, of this diversity, of this active population which often comes with children and allows schools to be maintained”says the president of the Social Union for Housing.