Strasbourg, in Bas-Rhin (67), is starting to see small wooden chalets spring up in preparation for the Christmas market which will open its doors before the amazed eyes of children. These will not be the only houses that will show up. Tiny wooden frame houses aimed at housing families whose children go to school in Strasbourg and who find themselves on the street will also see the light of day in the winter. In total 5 to 7 units will emerge from the ground. These mobile homes of 22 to 27 square meters, purchased by the community, will be installed on a municipal plot, rue de la Carpe Haute, until 2026. In 2027, they can be moved.
«We cannot install more than 7, the aim being to go to the concrete part of the land and not to waterproof the floors any further.», explains to Figaro Floriane Varieras, deputy mayor of Strasbourg in charge of the fight against precariousness. These houses will have a common sanitary block in the center, the water connection of each tiny house being too costly in money and time, according to the deputy mayor. “Winters are very cold here and pipes must be buried at least 20 centimeters“, she specifies.
A cost of 480,000 euros
Total cost of the project? A little less than 500,000 euros, 480,000 exactly. A sum which will be financed by the community’s own funds but also by subsidies from the patron KS construction, a group specializing in real estate. The Strasbourg municipal council on November 4 voted for this expense. The financial support allocated by the KS promoter will amount to 70,000 euros, including 35,000 paid in 2024 and 35,000 in 2025. The cost of a small house is estimated at 40,000 euros.
Why did such a project come about? “Every week in Bas-Rhin, between 800 and 900 different people call 115 to request accommodation. Half of them are families with minor children», It is specified in the explanatory memorandum.
A project that exists in other cities
These wooden frame houses mounted on wheels are movable and cannot therefore be compared to a lasting solution in the eyes of Pierre Jakubowicz, opposition municipal councilor. “We have to stop tinkering. We, what we say, is that there are vacant buildings that can be renovatedsustainably developed land», he asserts on France Blue . Floriane Varieras, justifies to the Figaro that «The City’s investment in tiny houses is long-lasting but the establishment on this identified site will be temporary. As we will own them, we will be able to reuse them elsewhere“. She recognizes that this initiative is not a global response to poor housing: “We are dependent on government policies in this area. We have filed an appeal against the State to point out its shortcomings but we cannot stand by and do nothing. A lot of children when class is over sleep in a tent».
Neighborhood residents opposed a first project on this land located on rue de la Carpe Haute, last April. It was then a matter of welcoming travelers. A petition was launched, which collected more than 850 signatures. The project therefore evolved into a space reserved for homeless people. Strasbourg is not the first municipality to install wooden houses for homeless people. Rouen, in Seine-Maritime, saw the emergence of 16 housing units of this type equipped with a kitchen, toilet and shower.
