French state ordered to pay Strasbourg nearly 540,000 euros for emergency housing

The French state has been ordered by an administrative court to pay close to 540,000 euros to the city of Strasbourg. The ruling addresses costs incurred by the city for providing emergency shelter to homeless individuals in a municipal gymnasium between 2022 and 2023.

The court found the state "faulty" for its failure to fulfill its legal responsibilities in managing emergency housing. Strasbourg had argued that the state's "lack of action in exercising its competence" regarding emergency accommodation was a breach of duty. The court agreed, stating that the state had not met its legal obligations, leaving entire families on the streets and refusing to fund emergency housing adequately.

Jeanne Barseghian, Strasbourg's former Green mayor who initiated the legal challenge during her term, reacted to the decision. "The decision is clear: the state has not respected its legal obligations in leaving entire families on the street and refusing to finance emergency housing commensurate with the needs," she stated in a press release. She emphasized that the judgment should prompt immediate action to shelter those in need.

This Strasbourg ruling is not an isolated case. Four other municipalities, Grenoble, Lyon, Bordeaux, and Rennes, had previously launched legal action against the state in February 2024, seeking a reform of a system they deem "exhausted." In March and November 2025, the state had already been condemned for similar "faulty inaction" in compensating Grenoble and Bordeaux for emergency housing expenses. The total amount ordered for Strasbourg includes 242,284 euros for the municipality and 294,669 euros for the city's communal social action center (CCAS), plus 3,000 euros for legal costs.