The aging population is gradually prompting social housing providers to adapt their housing offerings and services.
In Réunion, the SHLMR has made this trend a cornerstone of its policy. Its 2025 CSR report highlights a strategy that goes beyond simply adapting existing buildings.
Internal organization, specialized housing, social support, community services, and housing pathways: Several measures are now being implemented to address the aging population in Réunion.
Social Housing Faces a New Demographic Challenge
The report notes that aging is now a defining factor for the SHLMR’s housing stock. The company states that it formalized its senior housing policy in 2024, based on four pillars:
- expertise,
- production,
- customer service and
- animation.
Three female employees are leading this initiative, with the support of a senior advisor at each branch.
This trend reflects a shift in approach. The focus is no longer solely on housing itself, but also on access to rights, maintaining independence, preventing isolation, and providing support throughout the life course.
The report presents several indicators that illustrate this policy:
- 771 housing units for seniors spread across 21 residences; ;
- 396 accessible housing units; ;
- 288 home visits conducted with tenants aged 75 and older; ;
- 100 activities for seniors; ;
- 300,000 euros will be invested in this policy in 2025.
Les Bambous, a project designed to support aging
The Les Bambous Residence, located in Saint-Pierre and developed in partnership with Isautier Patrimoine & Promotion, is the example chosen by the SHLMR to illustrate this strategy. The project is presented as a model for public housing designed to help low-income seniors remain in their homes.
The housing units were designed to minimize the challenges of aging from the outset. The report specifically cites:
- elevators; ;
- handrails; ;
- raised toilets; ;
- lighted pathways that reduce the risk of falls; ;
- air circulators; ;
- ventilated verandas; ;
- solar water heaters.
Rents are also tailored to the target audience, with one-bedroom apartments available for €295, including utilities, and two-bedroom apartments for €430, including utilities.
However, the approach does not stop at housing development.
A residential complex that combines housing with local amenities
The report highlights another aspect of the project: the integration of services directly within the residence.
On the ground floor, several healthcare professionals practice in dedicated offices, including a a pharmacy, a doctor, a physical therapist, and a dentist. The outdoor spaces also include landscaped gardens and raised vegetable gardens for residents.
SHLMR also highlights the role of its social and disability liaison officer and its senior coordinator. Their mission includes assisting residents with administrative procedures, facilitating access to their rights, coordinating the efforts of departmental services, and combating isolation, including digital isolation.
The financing of the project also has a unique feature. According to the report, an interest-free loan from the CGSS was used to limit households’ housing costs as a percentage of income and preserve their disposable income.
A policy that is part of a broader housing strategy
Beyond the Les Bambous housing complex, the report shows that this strategy is part of a broader affordable housing policy.
In 2025, 50 families became homeowners through the sale of public housing units, representing an increase of 43 % compared to 2024. The SHLMR notes that 78 % of the buyers were former tenants of its housing stock or members of their families. Furthermore, 52.85 % of the allocations made in the under the Social Rental-Purchase Loan program (PSLA) benefited employees, with results exceeding the organization's target.
The report also indicates that 96.75 % of the allocations made in 2025 enabled households to maintain out-of-pocket expenses of more than 14 euros per day per consumption unit, thanks in particular to the processing of 5,489 assistance applications.
Finally, this senior policy gained national recognition when, on December 12, 2025, it received the Specialization in Aging of the label Quali’Hlm®, highlighting the initiatives implemented by the SHLMR to support older adults.
An issue that is set to grow in importance
Through the Les Bambous housing complex and its overall senior housing policy, the SHLMR exemplifies a broader shift in the missions of social housing providers. Housing is no longer merely a solution to the need for a place to live. It has also become a tool for preventing the loss of independence, ensuring access to services, and maintaining social connections.
The 2025 CSR Report thus shows that adapting the existing housing stock and designing new residential buildings that incorporate these considerations are now among the organization’s priorities.
This approach could gradually inspire other social housing providers facing the same demographic changes, both in Réunion and in other overseas territories.