Housing Crisis Hits La Rochelle Students Hard, Moroccan Enrollees Face Steep Challenges

"If I had known, I think I wouldn’t have chosen to come here," laments David, a master’s student in Applied Foreign Languages who had a hard time finding housing in La Rochelle, a city where the real estate market is very tight. Like him, Khaoula, a young Moroccan who arrived in September to start her master’s degree in civil engineering for the 2021-2022 academic year, is looking for housing. "I had rented an Airbnb for ten days, I thought it would give me time to find housing," she told France Info.

To read: Moroccan Student’s Housing Crisis Highlights Shortage in French University Cities

At the end of the ten days, the Moroccan student is still without housing, while the start of the school year is approaching. "I started to get scared and I went to talk to the University. They redirected me to the town hall, which was helping a lot of students," she recounts. Finally, she obtained housing in a campsite, about an hour’s drive from the University. After a week’s stay in the campsite, without finding a solution to her problem, Khaoula decided to change cities and do her master’s degree in Lorient, where she quickly found housing.

To read: Cost of Student Living in France Rises 3.69%, Impacting Moroccan and International Students

However, many students in the same situation as Khaoula are taken care of by the city. "The CCAS expenses allowed us to support 88 students who could not find housing. We found a lasting solution for all of them," said Danièle Carlier-Misrahi, deputy mayor of La Rochelle, in charge of action and social cohesion.

In most cases, university residences are limited and reserved primarily for scholarship holders. According to a student, the average rent for a studio in La Rochelle is 494 euros, more expensive than in Nantes, Rennes, Lille or Strasbourg. The city authorities are aware of the situation. "We clearly lack housing. Arhpej is starting the construction of two new residences, but they will not be ready until 2024. We have to find other solutions in the meantime," explains the deputy mayor Danièle Carlier-Misrahi.