84th HLM Congress in Montpellier: “We must have the courage to build more social housing”, ideas to revive “the supply shock”

Comment provoquer “un choc de l’offre” en matière de logements sociaux ? Midi Libre – JEAN-MICHEL MART

While 2.6 million French people who are eligible for it are hoping for social housing, construction is suffering greatly. Six specialists have discussed avenues of thought to enable production to be revived.

The 84th HLM Congress opened with a very pessimistic overview: never before have so few social housing units been built in France despite growing demand. In 2023, only 80,000 new social housing units will have been built compared to the 150,000 needed. A drop in public funding and state grants, budgetary restrictions for local authorities, rising construction costs, rising interest rates and material prices… the causes are as diverse as the observation is implacable.

After the inauguration of the HLM Congress in Montpellier this Tuesday, September 24, which is being held for three days at the Parc Expo, six speakers attempted to address avenues of reflection on the theme: “the supply shock, myth or reality”. A way to ask the right questions before getting the answers from the new Minister of Housing, Valérie Létard, expected at the HLM Congress this Wednesday, September 25.

“A sector under great tension”

The observation first: “We have never built so few social housing units, the sector is under great strain” , explains the mayor of Montpellier, president of the metropolis Michaël Delafosse, whose territory welcomes 4,000 more inhabitants each year. This is also the case in the Rhône. Vincent Cristia, general director of Lyon Métropole Habitat, notes: “We have 90,000 applicants waiting for social housing, that's one in 20 Lyonnais. We need to double the production of social housing”.

Pascal Boulanger, president of the FPI, the federation of real estate developers, assures that in terms of construction, “2023 was already the worst year. In 2024, we should fall by another 15%” . But according to him, the lack of construction also comes “from the lack of demand. Since we can't finance projects, we withdraw programs".

Aid for building mayors

Emmanuelle Cosse, former Minister of Housing and President of the Social Union for Housing (USH) which is organizing the Congress, believes that "all sectors of production are blocked, but the State recognizes that the crisis is serious. This drop in real estate activity increases the drop in revenue and therefore the worsening of the public deficit". She advocates among the avenues of reflection a “aid to builder mayors. An allocation of 300 million euros, which is not much, and which would allow the production of housing”. And turns to Michaël Delafosse who says he is ready to “treat wasteland, city entrances, transform offices or certain businesses into housing. We need to move quickly and tell ourselves that we will no longer build as before because we must no longer artificialize the soil".

Fewer constraints and a public will "as for the housing stock created for the Paris Olympics in record time", recalls Anne-Sophie Grave, chairwoman of the CDC Habitat board.

"A fair transition"

Anne-Sophie Grave preaches for her parish and asks to stop “to contrast social housing with intermediate housing”,the one for households with an income of 2,500 euros to 3,000 euros per month: “We have been able to get programs with social housing out of the way thanks to the support of intermediate housing”.

Pascal Boulanger is firmly calling for the Pinel system to be maintained in its old version “. Otherwise everything will fall apart, including the financing of social housing".

Serge Bayard General Manager of the financing and investment bank of La Banque Postale is campaigning for "a fair transition. Because we will not make an environmental transition without a social and local transition". For the latter, there is "no single solution, we have to move small stones".

A “task force” at the local level

Serge Bayard also advocates faster decision-making and brings a positive touch: “Interest rates are falling and this should continue”. He wants to avoid “an overly complex gas plant. We need to reduce delays”. He supports Michaël Delafosse's idea of ​​a “task force at the local level that is agile and that is as close as possible to the ground”. Having a method to “have the courage to build. We must assume to build even if it is not in our interest”.

Emmanuelle Cosse assumes: “We could do nothing and we would be much better off. But our model is to invest and move forward. Every euro spent is useful to society. And especially to the 2.6 million French people waiting for social housing.

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