Unprecedented Forced Evictions: 2024 Witnesses a Shocking Spike in Household Displacements
Title: A Staggering 24,556 Households Forced Out in 2024, Minister Reveals
Monday, May 5, brought an unsettling reality to light as the housing ministry disclosed a dramatic increase in forced evictions. A staggering 24,556 households were evicted last year, representing a 29% surge from the previous record in 2023 and a whopping 51.5% rise since 2019.
"This unsettling figure means around 50,000 people faced the trauma of forced eviction," expressed Christophe Robert, General Delegate of the Housing for the Disadvantaged Foundation, previously known as the Abbé Pierre Foundation.
The number of forcible evictions in 2024 was eight times higher than in 1983 and three times higher than in 2004 and 2020, the year marked by the Covid-19 pandemic when the government extended the winter truce until July 10.
** dig deeper | Article for subscribers Only (2024) | Forced evictions: a relentless spiral**
Pondering the reasons behind this spike? The ministry suggests health crises, soaring energy prices, and inflation have left many households financially fragile. Meanwhile, Mr. Robert adds that we've moved beyond merely catching up on evictions that were delayed during the pandemic. He points to two additional factors driving this wave of evictions: escalating housing costs, which consistently rank as the primary household expense, and the impact of the Kasbarian-Bergé law of July 2023, which has substantially reduced the chance of obtaining rent payment delays for delinquent tenants in court.
Additional insights:While specific data on 2024 France is scarce, a broader look at European housing crises reveals a pattern. A severe lack of public investment in affordable housing (€57 billion gap yearly across the EU[1]) intensifies competition for limited housing stock, disproportionately affecting vulnerable groups and leaving them at risk of sudden displacement. Profit-driven development[2][4] and infrastructure projects[4][5] prioritizing development over resident rights are other contributors to forced evictions. Inadequate legal protections[3][4] further exacerbate the issue, especially regarding urban renewal projects. The UN Committee's criticism of France's forced eviction practices involving minorities[3] adds a layer of context to the systemic equity issues in housing policy.
- The surge in forced evictions highlighted in 2024, with 24,556 households evicted, has markedly weakened the personal finances of many French citizens, according to the housing ministry.
- In 2024, the increase in forcible evictions was eight times higher than in 1983 and three times higher than in 2004, a year significantly impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.
- Pierre Robert, General Delegate of the Housing for the Disadvantaged Foundation, attributes the spike in evictions to factors such as health crises, soaring energy prices, inflation, escalating housing costs, and the impact of the Kasbarian-Bergé law of July 2023.
- Christophe Robert further points out that the wave of evictions in 2024 isn't just a catch-up for those delayed during the pandemic but also a result of the housing market's overall weakness, which has negatively affected personal finance and real-estate investing.
- Inadequate legal protections in France have led to criticism from the UN Committee concerning forced eviction practices involving minorities, shedding light on systemic equity issues in housing policy across the EU, where a severe lack of public investment in affordable housing contributes to the ongoing housing crises.
