Funding Under Pressure in the Overseas Territories
For 2026, the overall budget for the Single Budget Line (LBU), the main funding tool for social housing in the French overseas departments and regions, is estimated at €127 million.
The allocation is distributed among the territories: €15 million for Guadeloupe, €15 million for Martinique, €24 million for French Guiana, €27 million for Réunion, and €46 million for Mayotte. These amounts remain estimates at this stage.
This announcement is causing concern for the French Social Housing Union (USH), which is warning of a decrease in resources allocated to social housing. In the overseas territories, the needs remain very high, while demand continues to increase.
In 2025, approximately 104,000 applications for social housing were registered in the overseas territories. Meanwhile, nearly 64% of the population would be eligible for this type of housing. For the USH (Union Sociale pour l’Habitat), this clearly demonstrates the critical need for affordable housing.
According to the organization, this funding cut could slow the construction of new housing, delay some already planned projects, and hinder renovation programs. It could also lengthen waiting times for families applying for social housing.
The effects could also impact the local economy. In France’s overseas territories, the construction and public works sector is heavily dependent on public investment, particularly in social housing construction. A decrease in funding could therefore slow activity and affect employment.
The situation is particularly worrying in Mayotte, where population growth is rapid and precarious housing remains widespread. Housing needs there are extremely urgent, in an already strained context.
Faced with this situation, the President of the USH, Emmanuelle Cosse, emphasizes that housing cannot be the variable that bears the brunt of the budget cuts. The official insists that the LBU is an essential tool to meet the needs of the population and calls for preserving its role in public social housing policies.
