“More and more people on the streets and vacant buildings”: associations organize a “march of emptiness” in Montpellier

Les associations ont présenté leur charte devant l'ancien squat des Archives départementales. ML – GR

Un collectif organisait une visite guidée des immeubles vacants, dans le centre-ville, ce mardi 21 janvier. L’occasion de sensibiliser au droit au logement et au développement de l’habitat intercalaire.

From Place Sainte-Anne to the former squat of the Departmental Archives, at the Beaux-Arts, it is a “marche du vide”, a guided walk concept that appeared in 2023 in Belgium, which took place yesterday in Montpellier.

Along the way, the eleven organizing associations raised awareness of the issue of empty housing in the city center, much more widespread than we think.

Rue des Écoles Laïques, “the youth hostel has been empty since Covid, explains Sylvie Chamvoux, regional director of the Abbé Pierre Foundation. It was proposed to buy the building through a foundation. Around fifteen housing units, from T1 to T4, will be built there. And during the two years needed to set up the operation, the building will be made available to associations.”

“This will make it possible to house some of the 80 people who live in the shanty town on Avenue de Maurin,” continues Catherine Vasseaux, director of the Area association. The goal is for them to live in the hostel for two years, while they find other accommodation.”

Rue du Petit Scel, almost on the corner of Rue Foch, another project was launched for almost a year. The Clemium company approached the City and associations to make unoccupied apartments available to them for eight to ten months.

“17 people, including two families and five single people, were able to be accommodated, informs Camille Couturier, coordinator of the shanty town action at La Cimade. This allowed the resorption of a squat and facilitated social work and access to school. A family expecting a baby was even able to accommodate him in the apartment, in the middle of winter.”

 

Eleven associations united in a collective are leading the fight

Housing people in vulnerable situations for a fixed period in unoccupied premises. This is the definition of interim housing, tested since 2021 in Montpellier.

Eleven associations united in a collective have drawn up a charter to defend the rights of the people housed. “We provide social support to these people towards housing solutions perennial", explains Thomas Henrion, from the Quatorze association.

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“In this charter, we are very vigilant to ensure that the housing provided is decent”, underlines Christian Valois, from the Luttopia association.

“During previous rehousing experiments, such as at the Violettes nursing home, people were housed for six months, which was too short to support them effectively, observes Catherine Vasseaux, director of the Area association. With the other associations, we said that the minimum to house people is two years."

"We need resources to make the housing habitable and manage the fluids, continues Jean-Paul Vogel, administrator of the association Avec Toits. This also requires social support."

"We are launching an appeal to owners"

"In Sainte-Anne, this system has made it possible to accommodate five young people in an irregular situation and a family, cites Camille Couturier of Cimade as an example. For these groups, there is no solution, apart from calling 115."

"We are launching an appeal to owners"

specifies Romane Couteux, from Médecins du Monde. Without an adapted solution, people can remain in interim accommodation."

"We are launching an appeal to owners, communities and the State, concludes Sylvie Chanvoux, regional director of the Abbé Pierre Foundation. Thanks to this collective, we have the means to study all the projects."

“This place was only inhabited when it was squatted”

This march ended in front of the old Departmental Archives, at the Beaux-Arts. “They had been empty for five years when they were requisitioned by our Luttopia collective in November 2016”, recalls Gwendal Lasne, co-founder of the collective and former social referent of the place.

“We welcomed more than 250 people per day. We handed over the keys on March 31, 2021 to allow the launch of the interim housing with the City of Montpellier and the associations. The squat was cleared to avoid eviction and a return to the streets. People were able to benefit from a social diagnosis of their situation and were then able to have accommodation. Twelve families were regularized.”

 

Social and emergency accommodation is saturated

In the Montpellier metropolitan area, in 2023, "there were 33,547 requests for social housing for… 3,308 allocations, recall the associations. The average waiting time is 20 months but some households have to wait up to seven years."

According to the 2023 Solidarity Night, "2,794 people are homeless: on the streets, living in squats or shanty towns". 70% of households that called 115 did not receive any accommodation offer.

At the same time, “Housing remains vacant, due to lack of maintenance or awaiting rehabilitation. Buildings are also left abandoned”.

 

Four years later, it is a feeling of unfinished business that predominates. “A garden with centuries-old trees has disappeared, the various projects – deportation museum, school group – have not seen the light of day. Today, it seems that it is the archives (municipal) that are to be installed there. The fact remains that over the last fifteen years, this place has only been inhabited during the four and a half years when it was squatted.”

In this context, the testimonies of people housed resonated harshly. “When I spent nights outside, I became very ill”, admitted one. “If we have to leave here, I won't know what to do”, said another, who has to leave his accommodation next August.

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