Roofs first

Over the last ten years, an increase of almost 50% in rents has been observed, gas prices have risen by 50% in five years, energy costs gained 9.3% in 2011 for an average sized household (Insee). In some places, one cubic meter of water costs more than 8€.
Housing and fluids are fixed expenses that reach intolerable levels for many: low income households and poor households give up more than half of their budget to cover these expenses as opposed to only a quarter of the budget 30 years ago.

An offer of very low rent housings with a low daily overall operating cost.

Economical housing

The aim of each operation is to bring back fixed expenses of tenants to an acceptable level, compatible with sustainable integration:

• For a single person: the lowest possible rate of fixed expenses, in any case lower than 30% (fixed expenses reach 48% on average today for poor households) and mostly a daily subsistence allowance of more than 10€.
• For a family, one couple with two children: a rate of fixed expenses lower than 30% and mostly a daily subsistence allowance of 10€ per consumption unit.

Inclusion housing

It's all about bringing solutions to households lacking rental experience or having gone through breaks, difficult housing situations: evictions, substandard housing... The Foundation will give support; first and foremost, to inclusion contractors with associative backgrounds and a good knowledge of the target groups, in order to put forward new offers of accompanied housing on small scale human levels (diffuse very social housing, family hotels, social youth housing).

Sustainable housing

Too often, the departure day is programmed and announced on the day of the handing over of keys. The Foundation wishes to offer lasting solutions to rehouse impoverished persons, followed or not by a rehousing project.

"Roofs First" could be able to cover 5 to 10% of the total cost of operations.
The investment aid reaches around 8000 € per housing. The programme aims to aid the production of 600 to 700 housings per year, bringing the total to about 5.5 million € granted each year.
The 28 March 2012 decree labels "Roofs First" a programme fighting energetic precariousness in the name of the "Grenelle 2" law, making the programme offered by the Foundation Abbé Pierre eligible to the "energy saving certificates".
The follow-up and the evaluation of the programme will take place on two levels: via a pilot committee and through feedback on the costs of operations.
In the wake of the previous programme "2000 roofs for 2000 families", various steps for the evaluation of daily operating costs have been launched, allowing the control of the actual cost of using the produced housings, beyond labels and certificates of energetic performance.