An habitation à loyer modéré (HLM, pronounced [aʃ ɛl ɛm], lit. 'housing at moderate rent'), is a form of low-income housing in France, Algeria, Senegal, and Quebec. It may be public or private, with rent subsidies.
HLMs constitute 16% of all housing in France.[1] There are approximately four million such residences, housing an estimated 10 million people.[1] The standard of living in the HLM housing projects is often the lowest in the country.
72% of French HLMs built before 2001 (and 95% of those built between 2001 and 2011) are small buildings or individual houses. The average size of buildings is 20 apartments.[1] Construction of HLM is mainly financed by funds collected on Livret A, a type of savings account regulated by the Caisse des dépôts et consignations.[2] In 2011, the French people have placed 280 billion euros on this type of savings account.[3]