There is a whole system of housing aid in France. They are aimed either at people who have to fulfill certain conditions, or at young people under 30, active or still students.
General aids
Personalized housing assistance
All of this general aid is paid by the Family Allowance Funds, or CAF. By consulting this article on the various housing aids, you will notice that one of them, the Personalized Housing Aid, or APL, is reserved for tenants of housing subject to an agreement with the State. . This may be, for example, social housing.
The APL can also concern a co-tenant or a sub-tenant. The accommodation must be the principal residence of the tenant, who may, under certain conditions, be a minor. The aid is paid to the lessor and deducted from the rent.
Finally, the tenant must not exceed a certain income ceiling to benefit from this aid.
Family housing allowance
Paid by the CAF or the Mutualité sociale agricole, or MSA, the family housing allowance, or ALF, is reserved for people who cannot benefit from either the APL or the social housing allowance, or ALS.
In addition, it is paid to tenants, or sub-tenants, whose accommodation is the main residence and meets certain criteria of decency.
That said, the beneficiaries of this aid, who must not exceed a certain ceiling of resources, have varied profiles. It can be a young couple without children, a household with a dependent child, up to 21 years old, an ascendant over 60 or 65 years old, or even a family member in the inability to work.
Social housing allowance
The social housing allowance, or ALS, concerns people who are not entitled to either the APL or the ALF.
It is paid to the tenant or sub-tenant of the accommodation, if it is their main residence. In addition, this allowance is subject to means testing.
Housing assistance for young people
Students
Students can claim aid from the CAF already indicated, namely the APL or the ALS. They are also entitled to specific aid.
Thus, a student who does not have a personal guarantor can benefit from the Visale scheme. It ensures the payment of rent if the student cannot afford it. This system, which reassures owners, facilitates student access to housing.
Thereafter, the student will have to reimburse the organization that paid the rent for him. In addition, salaried students wishing to rent accommodation benefit from the Loca-pass system, which advances them, at a zero interest rate and without administrative fees, the amount of the security deposit.
Young workers
In addition to the usual aid from the CAF, young people entering the world of work benefit from specific measures to promote their access to housing.
If they are between 18 and 25 or even sometimes 30 years old, they can rent furnished accommodation at moderate rent. They find them in hostels for young workers, or FJTs, or residences for young workers. These accommodations are accessible to single students or students living as a couple, but without children.
These residences include various services, such as a restaurant or laundry. Students must pay each month an amount corresponding to the rent and the share of charges they must pay.
The CAF is not the only one to give a boost to young apprentices, who are also employees. Like students, they benefit from the Visale scheme and the Loca-pass advance.
They also benefit from another device, called Mobili-jeune. It helps the apprentice to pay his rent and his charges during the time of his training. To take advantage of this aid, the young apprentice must work in certain categories of companies and receive a salary below the minimum wage.
All of these housing aids are also available to young people carrying out work-study work.
Young workers in a situation of professional mobility can also, under certain conditions, in particular resources, benefit from a device called Mobili-pass. It comes in the form of a loan or a grant, which facilitates access to housing.
Young people hired on fixed-term contracts have great difficulty finding accommodation. This is the reason why they benefit from traditional aid, and in particular that of CAF and the Visale scheme.
In their search for accommodation, they are also supported by the Temporary Work Social Action Fund, or FASTT. Its services support the young worker on a temporary basis in the search for accommodation and the mobilization of the aid to which he is entitled. It also pays them the Mobili-pro check, which contributes to the payment of housing expenses.
Finally, regions or departments pay young workers certain housing aid. Depending on the case, this may be a reimbursable advance or assistance with the payment of the security deposit, rents, charges or water or electricity bills. These various aids are sometimes granted subject to means testing.
