# Social housing in Europe: the end of an era? (Metropolitiques, 26 Sept 2012)

* **Social housing in Europe: the end of an era?**
* By Noémie Houard. Published in Metropolitics on 26 September 2012
* <https://www.metropolitiques.eu/Social-housing-in-Europe-the-end-of-an-era>
* **Summary**:
  * Although there is no single European model for social housing, there are nevertheless a number of **common trends and features in most countries in Europe:**
    * **delegation to local government,**
    * **a new focus on fragile populations,**
    * **reductions in the proportion of social housing**.
  * In France, the welfare state is tending to break with its “universalist” vocation in order to target action on increasingly vulnerable populations.
* **Keywords**: France, social housing, universalism, vulnerable populations, narrow definition, public investment

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This article comments on the general trend in Europe since the 2000s that saw the definition of what constitutes "social housing" become narrower and applying to ever smaller part of society deemed the most vulnerable.
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