A new bill could allow certain people to access social housing more quickly. Are you affected? We tell you everything.
Access social housing in France is often a real obstacle course. With more than 2.7 million people waiting in 2024applicants must be patient and meet strict criteria. But a new bill could however allow certain people to speed up this process by taking into account an often neglected criterion, as revealed The Net Journal.
The social housing allocation system is currently based mainly on financial criteria. For example, a single person must not exceed an annual income of 33,857 euros to be eligible, while this ceiling amounts to 50,603 euros for a couple. These criteria are there to guarantee that the poorest households can access low-income housing. But while these income caps are essential, they don’t take into account some practicalities, like the distance between home and work.
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A proposal to bring housing and work closer together
But the new bill proposed by Jean-Luc Warsmann, UDI deputy from the Ardennes aims to change this. Indeed, the latter wishes to introduce a new criterion for the allocation of social housing: proximity between the workplace and housing. Concretely, this means that workers whose place of employment is close to social housing could be priority on the waiting list.
The initiative goes even further by suggesting that applicants who can walk or cycle to work be placed at the top of the list of beneficiaries. Behind this idea lies a double objective: improving the quality of life of tenants while reducing carbon footprint linked to commuting. By facilitating access to accommodation close to the workplace, this measure could also relieve congestion on public transport networks and reduce costs associated with daily travel.
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Questions and necessary adjustments
This idea is not entirely new. Some municipalities, such as Gennevilliers in Hauts-de-Seine, have already implemented similar systems. In this city, 80% of the social housing offered by Action Logement is allocated in priority to residents and workers of the municipality. This type of policy not only favors local residents, but also creates more cohesive communities around residential neighborhoods and employment areas.
Although Jean-Luc Warsmann’s bill seems promising, it nevertheless raises certain questions. The main risk would be to create a form of discrimination against unemployed applicants or working far from their current place of residence. These people, often already precarious, could find themselves disadvantaged by this new criterion. Furthermore, such a measure must not be done to the detriment of other social criteria which guide the allocation of social housing, such as emergency or highly precarious situations.
Passionate about women’s news, Agathe has been deciphering the latest trends for aufeminin since 2022. Her favorite areas? Psychology, nutrition and well-being advice, without forgetting the tips…