Helping tenants –
“Loss of housing is often linked to a health problem”
A Vaud association which fights against evictions regrets that tenancy law takes so little account of the health of tenants.
Published today at 7:55 a.m.
Expensive medical treatment or delayed pensions can jeopardize the payment of rent.
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- The association was created to respond to the social emergency arising from Covid.
- It helps avoid evictions by supporting tenants in various procedures.
- Often, difficulties in paying rent are linked to health concerns.
- In 2023, 276 households contacted the association.
Originally, it was a question of “responding to the social emergency born of Covid”. Understand: ensuring that people who have suffered significant income losses during the pandemic do not find themselves on the street. Four years later, the Vaudoise Association for the Protection of Housing for Precarious People (AVSL) has continued its activities and is overwhelmed by demands.
“When housing is discussed in the public debate, it is to talk about shortages or rents, almost never about the loss of housing,” notes Joachim Guex, social coordinator within the AVSL. This is a very technical field and there are few social actors who are specialized in this topic. However, requests are exploding, which means that the association is responding to a real need.”
Concretely, the AVSL informs tenants about lease law, supports their administrative procedures and serves as a mediator during conflicts with landlords, always with the aim of avoiding evictions.
“We noticed that there was a common denominator in many situations: health problems. Regularly, it is a major medical problem, expensive treatment or long-awaited pensions that jeopardize the payment of rent,” reports Simon Dubois, social coordinator.
From there, everything can go very quickly. “Lease law does not protect people with specific needs, even if they are occasional,” continues Joachim Guex. Have you always paid your rent and missed one or two deadlines for health reasons? If your lessor is not in good faith, you can quickly find yourself in difficulty. The expulsion is not immediate but after a formal notice and the submission of the file to the justice of the peace, 80% of the procedures last less than three months.
276 files and 2023
The circle is all the more vicious because the fear of eviction is a source of anxiety and can add to tenants’ difficulties. “When people don’t understand the jargon or don’t know their rights, they can quickly panic,” says Simon Dubois.
While it was requested by 276 households in 2023, and allowed 55 of them to keep their homes, the AVSL currently depends on the goodwill of certain municipalities and foundations. “We don’t have sustainable funding. However, what we offer does not exist elsewhere. And it’s not a luxury, given the number of requests that reach us,” emphasize the two employees.
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Romaric Haddou has been a journalist in the Vaud and regions section since 2016. He covers the health sector in particular.More info
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