Self-contained housing for young people

France is one of the EU countries where leaving the parental home happens earliest and is most assisted by the family: at age 21, one young person in two lives with his parents. But it is also one where staying in the parental home is most correlated with job insecurity. Leaving and then coming back after the initial departure from the parental home affects nearly one in five young people. There is a concern that the current crisis is making this phenomenon worse for the 9.65 million people aged 18-29 in France in 2012.

The increasing number of main residences, especially larger units in suburban and rural areas, does not meet the needs of young people. The under 30 year olds are indeed over-represented in small private rental housing and often live alone in city centres, thereby increasing their net expenditure (accommodation expenses, including rent or loan repayments, after deducting housing allowances). 25-29 year olds spend 18.7% of their income on accommodation, compared to 10% for all age groups combined (the over 30s are much more likely than younger people to be home owners and to have paid off their loans). 21% of households where the reference person is under 30 live in overcrowded housing (9% of all households). Their scarce resources and job insecurity expose many young people to increased guarantees being required by landlords and sometimes they have to accept inadequate accommodation. The number of spaces managed by the CROUSs (centres régionaux des oeuvres universitaires et scolaires - Regional Centre for Student Services) (169,000) and the Hostels for Young Workers (FJT) (40,000 units) is insufficient, especially in areas of high demand.

Increased mobility and the changeability of the status of young people (student, apprentice, trainee, employee etc.), linked to a rather fragmented route to employment complicate the implementation of measures tailored to their needs. In response to a need for a rapid and comprehensive support system we see disjointed housing policies, targeted and rigid measures, just-in-time management etc.

For the ESEC, facilitating access to self-contained housing for 18-29 year olds requires the implementation of a set of diverse solutions, combining specific measures with the general guidelines of housing policies.