ABSTRACT
The social housing companies or associations were active partners in the mass housing boom but they were very much the tools of a bigger process. The recently passed ‘Droit au Logement’ aims to ensure access to accommodation for all households resident in France, particularly previously excluded households. Employers had the right to nominate their workforce to flats – up to 30 per cent of lettings depending on the employer’s contribution which came from the 1 per cent employers’ tax. The prefect had the duty to nominate homeless, seriously overcrowded, and very needy households when they applied to his office for help with rehousing. The policy of achieving a social mix often ran counter to the growing pressure to house the most needy. The Right to Housing Law offers incentives to private landlords to house needy families, rather than forcing habitations a loyer modere to take exclusive responsibility.
