The property company Foncière Chênelet belongs to the Chênelet group, which comprises several eco-building companies promoting labour market integration. It was created in 2009 with the dual objectives of reinventing the social housing model while supporting local development and social inclusion.
To fulfill this mission, Foncière Chênelet funds social housing with high environmental quality, built with healthy and energy-efficient material instead of traditional social housing that often comes with increased energy costs due to low environmental quality, thus increasing residents’ precariousness. All these measures reduce rental charges by a factor of 6 compared to mainstream social housing !
Foncière Chênelet ’s mission also consists of establishing partnerships to construct the operated buildings. 30% of Chênelet-operated buildings are built by Chênelet Construction, the eco-construction subsidiary of the group Chênelet that employs people on social integration contracts. In Chênelet buildings, each square meter is equivalent to 50 labour hours on such agreements. The remaining construction work is carried out by local actors within a 50-km radius from the construction site to stimulate local economic activity.
To this day, 119 social housing apartments have been built, allowing 400 low-income individuals to be rehoused.