Implementing the Right to Housing in France: Strengthening or Fragmenting the Welfare State?

Most discussions of the right to housing focus on the legal implications and on the arguments for and against. Case studies of implementation are less common. This case study of the right to housing in France distinguishes between the right to housing as a principle, as a process of institutionalisation and as an operational exercise. As a principle, the right to housing involves a distinction between its application to tenant/ landlord law and a general commitment to help people in difficulty. The former is more easily justiciable. As a process of institutionalisation, the right to housing is characterised by a distinction between the role of the "guarantor" state and current trends towards decentralisation and facilitation. Finally, as an operational exercise, the right to housing is characterised by tensions over the role of social housing and voluntary groups. The right to housing has led to a new model of the welfare state in housing, involving a combination of social work support, individualised financial support and a flexible range of accommodation. The model is, however, characterised by significant local variations in the quality and scale of support and involves numerous actors whose activities are difficult to co-ordinate.