The Fondation Abbé Pierre, now operating under the name Fondation pour le Logement des Défavorisés, is a French foundation dedicated to combating exclusion, poverty, and mal-logement (poor or inadequate housing) so that disadvantaged people can access decent housing and live with dignity.13 Its work combines direct support, advocacy, and public awareness, with a strong focus on homelessness prevention, housing access, and the production of very social housing in France.136
According to the foundation’s own site, it has acted for more than 30 years against exclusion and deprivation, and since 1992 it has been working to guarantee access to dignified housing.1 Its main activities include financing and supporting very social housing such as family pensions, social residences, and inclusive housing; since 2006 it has invested in 11,603 homes that have accommodated 24,350 people.1 It also supports day centres across France that receive, advise, and orient people in severe hardship toward housing solutions; since 2006, it has financed 138 day centres, which welcomed 560,000 people in 2024.1 Another key service is “Allô prévention expulsion,” a helpline for people at risk of eviction.14
The organisation’s geographic scope is national, with activities and services across France.14 Its headquarters is in Paris, at 3 rue de Romainville, 75019 Paris.4 The foundation is closely linked to the fight against affordable housing shortages through its support for low-rent, energy-efficient housing and its publications on housing exclusion and social housing demand.156