New housing, which is an essential segment of the provision of new and adapted housing, belongs to the domain of innovation, whilst the adaptation of existing housing belongs to the domain of renovation. Just like the former, the latter requires mastery of the necessary techniques, as well as an appreciation of the constraints inherent in existing housing and the flexibility of any work carried out. The adaptation of existing housing represents the majority of the work undertaken in this field. This also requires the intervention of new professions related to demographic change.
PROFESSIONALISING INTERVENTIONS
Based on the voluntary participation of tradesmen, this is validated at departmental level in France by an independent committee (professionals, users-consumers, elected representatives…). The training that the tradesmen and their fellow workers are required to undertake in order to receive this label should then be carefully monitored.
The “senior service housing” label introduced by the Delphis association, or the beginning of a similar approach such as the classification of housing and the measures taken by Paris Habitat…
- the withdrawal of the condition of exclusivity, whilst still being required to keep separate accounts,
- legal security and support for the development of cooperatives of small companies whose (sole) activity is the provision of community care services.
The accreditation granted by the Ministry for Employment2 to small companies, which enables them to offer their customers the possibility of benefitting from the tax scheme that is open to community care services (and to pay for these services using the CESU system), means that the small companies must only provide community care services.
PROFESSIONALISING THE NEW JOBS
New jobs are appearing. At present they are not given a great deal of consideration and have not been well defined. They are aimed at the holders of level five qualifications, for young people or older members of the active population who are seeking additional income, since these two categories are the most vulnerable to unemployment.3
The aim is to structure the occupational sectors, to provide career prospects for jobs that are not particularly well recognised in the housing sector but which require as many technical skills as human skills.
This concern, which has been raised by the USH is to be taken as being complementary to the previous concern.
The USH has called for particular attention to be paid to this subject.
“Reinventing the role of the concierges” 4 (cf. report by Philippe Pelletier)
1 The Economic, Social and Environmental Council proposed the following easing of the regulations in order to promote “the development of community care services.” Yves Vérollet, rapporteur, 2007
2 Ministry for employment, social relations, the family, solidarity and towns and cities.
3 In 2009, at least 120,000 young people left school without any formal qualifications. Le Monde (18 July 2009)
4 Proposals with a view to the further development of the role of concierges: report by Françoise and Philippe Pelletier, submitted to the Minister for Housing and Towns and Cities, October 2008
