France is in the middle of a major housing crisis: 1 out of 6 people suffers from some sort of housing issue, homelessness is up 50% over the past decade and, during a cold spell last week, 5 homeless people froze to death in the streets in just one night.

President Francois Hollande’s long-awaited housing reform was passed in September, but many called it a capitulation to the real estate lobby and wealthy speculators. Hollande reneged on his promise to cap rents, which are up 120 percent since 2000, and the wait list for government housing is some 2 million people.