A local program to create more housing

The delegates of the communes of the canton all have the same problem: there are not enough lodgings and they are aware that something must be done:

- in order to allow employees working in the canton to live near the place where they are working.

- in order to allow companies to maintain their employees or to employ them under good conditions

- so that people do not have to live far from their family because of their job.

The local program for housing is meant to give answers for the coming 6 years: it is planned to create a variety of accessible lodgings with the construction of 680 social housings, about 300 housings for socially disadvantaged and 800 housings with a possibility to buy them.

These housings will be equally placed in all communes according to the engagement agreed on in the development program SCOT (Schéma de Cohérence Territoriale).

Click here to download the total local program for housing (in French)

The program was prepared in October 2006 and presented to the communes for comments and adopted in June 26th 2006. 8 actions were decided on:

Action n°1 : To help the communes and the developer who are in charge of constructing social housings to put up with the additional costs linked to the high price of the land and increased costs of construction. The CCG will contribute next to the region and the department with a financial help in order to compensate partly the deficit of operations and thus to allow more housings to be constructed for households with low income or those with an income slightly above limit for acquiring a council flat.
Action n°2 : To help the communes and the developer to construct housings adapted for families who need social help. The CCG will pay a subsidy for each housing of this type additionally to the financial aid from the state, the region and the department.
Action n°3 : Make use of the association for land property and housing and use of the funds collected under the 1% housing program in order to buy a whole lot of apartments in a single operation. The investments of this association could help fill the gap of the missing housings and diversify the offer and develop an offer to employees entitled to the "1% housing".
Action n°4 : The CCG conducts a study to evaluate the possibility to start a program for the renovation of housings related to the possibility to rehabilitate old houses and transform old farm buildings. The aim is to encourage owners to offer their housings to families with modest income for an accessible rent.

Action n°5 : In order to allow local families with modest income to live in the canton one has to develop a social home-buying (credit at zero interest). The legal situation must also be defined in order to dissociate the financing of the land and the construction.
Action n°6 : In order to help elderly people or people with reduced mobility to improve their housing or to change to a more adapted housing (ground floor apartments, near shops and services, accessible with ramps….) the CCG would support on the administrative side by helping to set up the demand of subvention and financial help to improve the existing housing. In parallel the new operations of constructions of housings near the commune centres should include housings for such demand.
Action n°7 : Two other actions will be carried out in parallel. On one hand a system of reservation or management of sub renting of small housings with personalised accompanying could be put in place by the 'Mission Locale' in order that young people find accommodation for short or longer periods. On the other hand some apartments should be held reserved for urgent situations. The CCG would help financing such action.
Action n°8 : To initiate a conference for housing during which the need and type of housing to develop will be known. Housings should in preference be offered to families in difficulties and for the future the criteria to attribute social housings in the canton should be harmonised. The conference would as well establish a local program for housing and would be in charge for the follow up of the actions.