Inclusive housing: progress for mental health?

Abstract

People with psychiatric disabilities often have difficulty living by themselves in their home. Sometimes, individual housing may be an isolation vector while a collective institutional setting may be too restrictive. So, alternative forms of co-housing have been developed. The term inclusive housing includes “maisons relais”, “pensions de famille”, “résidences accueil” and “Familles Gouvernantes” (halfway houses, guest houses, and foster homes). These houses’ aim, implemented by the hosts, is to fight against social exclusion in order to open up to the city. The goal is to offer the people the opportunity to empower themselves while respecting their abilities, thus promoting their recovery. When building projects, the limits must be designed to adapt to the needs of tenants, without setting rules that would be too strict. The French government is committed to promoting the development of habitat inclusive (inclusive housing) in the future. The increasing number of projects has to take place under conditions that guarantee their sustainability. To make it happen, it is necessary that the projects respect the people’s autonomy.