(en) France, Alternative Libertaire AL d'Avril #227 - Lodging: with roof (fr)

Against the backdrop of social crisis, falling incomes, instability, massive unemployment 
and layoffs by the thousands, today, more than one in ten people is a victim of the 
housing crisis. ---- Victims of the housing crisis is estimated at eight million: 33,000 
are homeless, 3.5 million live in slums, others may overnight to be thrown to the 
street-art [ 1 ]. More than 1.7 million people waiting for social housing that does not 
come [ 2 ]. ---- Housing has become the first item of expenditure of households (22% of 
revenue on average, 50% for some), the price of existing homes has increased 2.5 times 
between 1996 and 2011 and rents rose faster than income. Soaring prices now impacts the 
"middle classes", indebted tenants or owners. ---- The quality of the habitat is degraded 
and a third of residents in France live in a habitat with a major flaw: pierced roof, 
defective plumbing or electricity, humidity, etc.. There is an increasing number of 
homeless camps in major cities and reappear hundreds of slums.

A crisis organized long

Real estate speculation was triggered in 1975 with the withdrawal of the State which has 
ceased to plan the construction of housing on the basis of need, thus abandoning its 
mission of general interest to rely on circumstances.

The all-out deregulation (lifting the approval office 1985 release of rents and leaves for 
sale in 1986, raising the credit crunch in 1987) led to a rush of investors on strong 
gains. Instead of dwellings, built offices, with the blessing of local authorities expect 
the impact of the business tax. In 1985, the collection of passbooks, which finances 
social housing decline inexorably in favor of mutual funds and other financial products. 
In the former habitat, the end of the Law 48 death knell of social housing of fact and 
speculation will feed the exclusion of the poorest. Thus demolishes old buildings to build 
tall buildings or ... offices.

The construction of social housing is at half mast. We built 558,000 in 1972, 257,000 in 
1993 and 315,000 in 2012. The shortage is exacerbated by the destruction of public housing 
complexes and the sale of public housing in the name of social diversity. But the account 
is not there: it rebuilt unless it destroyed and you have to sell three units to rebuild one.

Of vacant housing

Who says speculation said vacancy. Indeed, an empty building a higher price - and faster - 
a building occupied. The vacancy of the total housing stock has increased fourfold between 
1954 and 1990. In 1994, 72% of vacant housing belonging to public authorities, 
institutions, real estate companies or large private owners [ 3 ]. Things have not changed 
much since.

As for housing, the economy making the law, the Court of Auditors pointed out in 2009 that 
75% of social housing were built where there was no demonstrated need, only 25% were in 
tense areas. But much lower wages do not have access to social housing, income limits and 
rents have been increased to promote a social mix, donors prefer a creditworthy customers.

The misery of emergency

So these are thousands of people, including children, who have no alternative but to go to 
the Samu Social, without much hope. The survey conducted by M?decins du Monde brings up 
this winter that 65% of requests they sent to 115 have not resulted in a favorable 
response. The lack of (emergency shelters, dilapidated hotels, old abandoned buildings 
open state emergency during the winter, etc.). Childcare, cobbled is crying. Applications 
explode. Precarious accommodation and waivers family hotel in another, regardless of the 
place of education of children or working parents, to discourage homeless people who end 
up not appeal aims to at 115. The universal right to housing is violated and foreigners 
and foreign, with or without papers or asylum and asylum seekers, are discriminated 
against. Slums, eradicated in the 70s reappear. Once Italians and Poles and Portuguese and 
North Africans, their inhabitants and inhabitants are now more often Roma, Bulgarians or 
Romanians. But the problem is still the same. " I've had enough of the ethnicization of 
this issue , "protested Jean-Baptiste Eyraud Right to Housing" a slum is a slum. Violent 
policy Valls is useless. We must relocate! "

A national priority?

Holland has promised the construction of 500,000 housing units per year, including 150,000 
social and eradication 600,000 unfit dwellings. C?cile Duflot, minister of territorial 
equality and housing, who believes "the number of people in fragile housing in the short 
or medium term 10 million" is at the origin of the first law, which does not break not 
with tax incentives of its predecessors, and provides a number of measures, including the 
mobilization of public land that should allow the construction of 100,000 housing units by 
2016, half of the ?le-de-France. But land and abandoned state buildings (hospitals, 
barracks, etc..) That the rest of their owners reluctant to make available will not be 
sufficient to absorb the deficiency million homes.

Follows a series of measures that can be asked if they have an impact of 40 years of 
rampant land speculation shortening procedures, flexible financing, facilitating the 
conversion of offices into housing, reduction of technical building standards, 
densification habitat, increased from 20 to 25% rate of social housing by town over 3500 
inhabitants, by 2025 ... and five-fold increase penalties for non-compliance with the law 
on solidarity and urban renewal.

The housing ministry is preparing a second law with a lot of job boards and seems to 
proceed in social housing to a "reordering of rents" (meaning an increase in the 
relocation) and invent a "scientific" method allocation of housing to promote social 
diversity (exclude hear more poor). The looming danger of losing the right to housing 
(Dalo) which, if not adequately implemented, constitutes a legal precedent. Despite 
promises of requisition, the reluctance of the government is hiding behind legal 
considerations and nothing moves.

A fight that lasts

It is clear the slums still have a bright future ahead of them. Mobilization of those who 
(still) a roof against the high rents, faces the fear of losing and does not grow. On 
April 2, the evictions will resume throwing thousands of people out on the street. The 
only measure that can respond to the emergency requisition of empty housing and processing 
thousands of km2 of unoccupied housing offices. This is essential and what is just. This 
is what, in spite of fierce repression, emblematic associations (eg Dal) or younger 
(Toulouse, Montpellier, etc..) To respond to the emergency and build a power struggle 
against the speculators and the government. The housing must leave the market system to be 
a public good, social, an inalienable right for all. This is the meaning that we are in 
this fight for over twenty years.

Chloe (AL Seine-Saint-Denis)

Consequences of the crisis

People with financial difficulties in housing cutting back on food first, then 
transportation, recreation, furniture and health.

They meet less often members of their immediate family, go less often festive meetings 
(birthdays, etc..) And are not invested in the social fabric. Young people live longer 
with their parents. In 1982, 71% of 25-29 year-olds living in couples against 48% in 2011.

Source: CREDOC, 12/2011

Meeting on May 21 in Paris

Meeting at the Bataclan in Paris on May 21 to 19h housing organized by the Platform of 
social movements against expensive housing. For lower rents, stopping evictions without 
rehousing, the construction of social housing, the requisitioning of empty homes ...

[ 1 ] Abb? Pierre Foundation in February, 2013

[ 2 ] INSEE

[ 3 ] See Housing crisis. Mechanical exclusion and allocation of office. synthesis report 
LAD September 1994