Housing shortages and litigation in Strasbourg

In Strasbourg, legal and social tensions regarding housing shortages have emerged. An administrative court ordered the French State to reimburse the city of Strasbourg and its Social Action Center (CCAS) approximately 540,000 euros. This ruling follows costs incurred by the municipality to provide emergency housing in a gymnasium after the evacuation of a city center camp between 2022 and 2023. The court determined the State failed to meet legal obligations to guarantee the right to housing for people in distress.

Following these legal developments, student militants from the Fédération syndicale étudiante (FSE) held a demonstration at the Paul-Appell university residence on August 31. The protest addressed a housing crisis affecting numerous students, including many non-European individuals, who lacked accommodation at the start of the academic year. Organizers criticized the Regional Centre for University and School Works (Crous) and called for the requisition of vacant housing and the provision of emergency accommodations like hotels or prefabricated units.