The potential exists: in Périgueux, people over 60 represent almost 30% of the population. Better still, 60% of people aged 80 and over live alone in their home, with or without family nearby. “On the other hand, we have a large number of 18-year-olds who live alone in apartments to study at high school or university and a demand for housing that is higher than the supply, although it is already higher average,” highlights Émeric Lavitola, the first deputy mayor of Périgueux.
“A profitable solution”
Imagined by Cohabilis, an association specializing in the promotion of shared housing, “the system is an advantageous solution for both parties”, wants to believe the elected official who is giving himself a year to appreciate the interest of such a system.
To ensure that the experiment works in reality, an agent from the Social Action Centre (CCAS) will be seconded to support candidates for intergenerational cohabitation. “This official will organise meetings between the pairs and check that things are going well between them on a daily basis from start to finish”, explains Elen Seigneur, the director of the CCAS in Périgueux.
“Around thirty young people and around ten seniors have already volunteered to participate in the system,” indicates Sandra Bodet, the head of the CCAS autonomy center. Now it remains to be seen whether the mayonnaise will take between them.
