City collective funds home for homeless family

A new collective in Nice believes it has found a way to combat homelessness one family at a time.

The 75 members of the Cent pour un 06 group, which was founded at the beginning of March, have already stumped up the funds to pay for an apartment for a family for a year - and they hope more people will sign up so that they can rent more properties and help more people living in emergency accommodation or who are on the waiting list for social housing.

The idea behind the group is that 100 people contribute to the rent and bills of a family who are less well off. A spokesperson told 20minutes that finding a property to rent in the private sector is beyond the means of many families in Nice, where rents are high and there is not enough social housing.

As well as covering rental costs, the collective will work to support families that it has housed until they are in a position to look after themselves.

"When you don't have a place to live, there are lots of things that are hard to do, like finding a job, doing homework... It's a moral and material insecurity. In the long run, our goal is for them to be able to manage on their own," the spokesperson said.