The City of Ganges launches a €4M operation to rehabilitate 174 housing units in the old center

Michel Fratissier (à g.), le maire de Ganges, et Frédéric Decauville, chef de projet “Petites villes de demain” pour la commune. – PCa

This "Programmed housing improvement operation – Urban renewal, in partnership with the National Housing Agency and the Departmental Council, will extend until 2028.

It's gone for five years! The city of Ganges has just launched an urban renewal program which will concern 174 housing units in its old center, for an overall aid package of more than 4 million euros.

This "Programmed housing improvement operation – Urban renewal" (Opah-RU), which will therefore extend until 2028, is deployed in partnership with the National Housing Agency (Anah), the Departmental Council and the Caf de l& rsquo;Hérault.

"As soon as I arrived in 2011, underlines Mayor Michel Fratissier, j’ai alerted the State, the prefecture at each meeting, the ministers during their visits: the figures have been ignored for too long on the question of housing in the central towns of rural areas. In fact, we are encountering real problems with housing and the quality of the supply, continues the elected official, also a doctor in history and professor at the University of Montpellier , while we welcome populations who no longer have the means to live in metropolises. And we are experiencing difficulties comparable to big cities: lack of social diversity, insecurity, trafficking. If we don't act on habitat, we don't act on anything."

But why did you wait so long ? "These are heavy and complex files, continues Michel Fratissier. Small towns face the same engineering issues as larger towns. The "Small towns of tomorrow" system, which we signed in January 2023, helped us." This system made it possible to mobilize two paid positions by the State, including that of Frédéric Decauville, project manager "Small towns of tomorrow" for the City of Ganges.

Up to 90% of work supported

"In the old center of Ganges, details Frédéric Decauville, the owners – occupants, lessors and sometimes co-ownership associations – will thus be able to benefit from substantial financial aid for heavy work: complete rehabilitations, energy renovations or even adaptations of housing to the loss of autonomy of their occupants. "

Aid commensurate with the planned work is put on the table: 2.7 M€ by Anah (in reality, the figure should be higher due to the increase in rates in January 2024), while the city of Ganges commits 864,000 euros; and the Department of Hérault 501 000 €.

"As an example, takes up the project manager, for the rehabilitation of very degraded housing, financing can go up to a work amount of 70,000 euros; Excl. tax. If they are owner-occupiers in the "modest" income category, i.e. 31 889 € annual for a household of two people, Anah will cover 60% of the work, the Department 15% and the City 15%, within the limit of 8,000%. nbsp;€." So 90 % of the amounts involved.

One stop shop!

The numbers are attractive. But there arises the hydra of administrative complexity and Cerfa to which even the initiated sometimes succumb…hellip; Never mind: a single entry point has been set up by the City which has mandated Soliha Hérault, one of the Social Real Estate Agencies (AIS) of this associative network national.

Its mission is to support the owners' efforts from the first to the last stage of the project, including acceptance of the site. "The cost of this support is fully covered by Anah, the Department and the City", specifies Frédéric Decauville.

"L’Opah-RU is a tool to initiate structural change in the old center, concludes Michel Fratissier. My job as mayor is to make decision-makers understand the need for this approach. But it’s a long journey. Housing is a real problem for us local elected officials. And I am asking the State for a one-stop shop on housing issues."

Soliha Hérault is available every Tuesday, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., at the town hall. Such. 04 67 10 73 33. Mail: opahganges@soliha-herault.fr. See also the city’s website: ganges.fr/-projet-coeur-de-ville-

The perimeter of the old center of Ganges where 174 housing units are affected by this Opah-RU. DR – PCa

And also a “Facade program”

Another "Bourg center contract" has also been concluded with the Occitanie Region in recent months, for a new "façades" &agrav; Ganges. Until August 31, aid of 50% of eligible expenses may be allocated for catering and the enhancement of facades visible from public space and located within the perimeter of the program, significantly more extensive than that of the program; Opah-RU. À From September 1st, this aid will fall back to the previous year. 25 %. "But it’s a system that has already been in place for a long time. for a long time, indicates Michel Fratissier. He opens the responsibility for a quarter of the facade repair work during the two years es which follow the end of a project. This is the case on the course of the Republic and it will be the case around the market halls, until the end of the year. end of 2026."

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