Promoting the creation of a small collective housing complex in a rural area
Refurbishment of an abandoned building for the benefit of several poorly housed families
Project description
In St Cyr-sur-Morin, a village located in the east of the Ile-de-France region, in a rural area lacking social housing, many low-income families are housed in inadequate and unsanitary conditions. They are often forced to pay high rents to private landlords, which pushes them into heavy debt or long-term poverty.
The association Habitat et Humanisme promotes decent living conditions for people struggling with housing problems. Its project, financially supported by the Rexel Foundation, made it possible to transform an abandoned building located in the center of the village into 5 new apartments equipped with energy efficient solutions and in compliance with current sanitary standards.
Designed in the “communal” spirit of the association, the project promotes social and generational diversity. The families housed in these apartments since September 2018 are accompanied by a dedicated team of volunteers, working together with a social worker and a property manager in order to facilitate their integration.
“This was the first time we participated in a housing refurbishment and energy cost awareness project, and I think it was a shared pleasure” said Rexel’s employee, sponsor of the project with the Rexel Foundation.
Objectives
This project has enabled the association to:
- Offer decent housing to 10 people encountering housing problems (elderly, young workers, families)
- Reduce the energy consumption of the building and its global renovation costs via the implementation of energy efficient solutions
- Help these low-income households to integrate locally
More about Habitat et Humanisme
In order to fight the exclusion and isolation of the disadvantaged, Habitat et Humanisme has been leading projects in housing, integration and the re-creation of social ties for more than 30 years. To counter various forms of poverty and meet the specific needs of people in difficulty, Habitat et Humanisme offers several types of housing and promotes innovative housing solutions.
Present in 80 departments, Habitat et Humanisme is run mainly by volunteers. Coming from different backgrounds, these men and women bring the project and the association’s values of solidarity to life day after day.
