Montpellier: Mobilization against inadequate housing as students and precarious workers find themselves homeless

In Montpellier, a demonstration brought together around 150 protesters in front of the Prefecture to denounce the alarming rise in inadequate housing. Students and precarious workers are increasingly finding themselves homeless, while the number of emergency shelter spaces is decreasing. This movement is calling on the government to take responsibility for a situation that continues to deteriorate.

A demonstration for housing for all

This Saturday, November 8, 2025, in the Place de la Préfecture in Montpellier, the “Un toit, un avenir” (A Roof, A Future) collective gathered around 150 people carrying signs demanding “A Roof for All.” The demonstrators, assembled to express their concern about the increasing housing crisis in the region, firmly demanded effective government intervention to house homeless people, including a worrying number of children. According to Monique Demante, spokesperson for the collective, 200 children are living on the streets, compelling the government to take urgent action. Students and precarious workers left homeless

The demonstration also highlighted a worrying phenomenon: students and precarious workers are now affected by this crisis. Individuals earning the minimum wage are no longer able to find housing, a fact that has shocked many Montpellier residents. While families, including 15 children, were evicted from their squat, remaining homeless for seven days, the collective is highlighting a pressing and widespread problem. Alarming figures and worrying forecasts The spokesperson warned of the alarming loss of emergency shelter spaces, with 400 disappearing last year and 300 this year. Associations fear this trend will worsen and predict the situation could deteriorate further next year. They are calling for relentless action from the government to reverse this trend and prevent the next descent into crisis.

Social anger is simmering in the Hérault region.

A few days after a demonstration that brought together 1,500 people against violence against women, and another gathering between 10,000 and 20,000 people, according to various sources, groups and citizens are expressing their solidarity in the face of these multiple social crises. This climate of anger and solidarity highlights the widespread dissatisfaction with the government’s response to the needs of its citizens.

Temporary solutions for some, but not for all. The shantytown on Avenue de Maurin was recently dismantled, offering a temporary solution to the 91 relocated residents, for example. Among them, 13 children will finally be able to start school this fall. However, the question remains: are these measures sustainable or simply a band-aid on a gaping wound? For many residents under the constant threat of homelessness, the future remains uncertain.

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