HLM

HLM (habitation à loyer modéré), French for "housing at moderated rents" or "rent-controlled housing", is a form of subsidised housing in France. There are approximately four million such residences, housing an estimated 12 million people — nearly one-fifth of the population of France. HLM's constitute 40-50% of all rented housing in France, and annual government subsidies to the tenants and constructors of HLM residences run to hundreds of millions of euros (according to Cour des Comptes, the figure in 1992 was 5.43 billion francs — about 830 million euros). The standard of living in the HLM housing projects is among the lowest in the country. The projects have become inhabited by a high proportion of people of North and West African descent, and many of the complexes suffer from high crime rates.