Starting from October 1, 2026, recipients of the Aide Personnalisée au Logement (APL), a form of personalized housing assistance in France, will see a small increase of 1.15 percent. This is a slight rise from the 1.04 percent increase in 2025. The APL is adjusted annually based on the Indice de Référence des Loyers (IRL), which reflects changes in rental prices during the second quarter of the year. On average, the APL amounts to about 219 euros per month, and the 1.15 percent increase adds approximately 2.52 euros per month, or 30 euros annually. However, this is an average, and the actual amount received depends on factors such as rent, income, number of dependents, and the value of real estate and financial assets over 30,000 euros. The increase will be automatically applied by the Caisse d'Allocations Familiales (CAF) or the Mutualité Sociale Agricole (MSA), and recipients can check their personal accounts to verify the new amount. This increase may be the last for a while, as the government has announced plans to freeze the APL in 2027 as part of the state budget. Vincent Jeanbrun, the minister for the City and Housing, stated that while the assistance will not be reduced, it will not be revalued next year. This freeze is expected to save the state around 54 million euros annually. Approximately 2.6 million households received the APL in 2025, at an annual cost of 7.4 billion euros. A decree published in the Journal Officiel on September 30, 2026, updated the scales used to calculate personal housing allowances. These changes apply to benefits effective from October 1, 2026, and the parameters used to calculate the assistance have been increased by 1.15 percent. In Martinique, this change directly affects the rent ceilings used in calculating housing assistance. However, this does not mean every beneficiary will automatically see their assistance increase by 1.15 percent. The 1.15 percent revaluation does not guarantee that every beneficiary will receive 1.15 percent more. In Martinique, which falls under zone II for rent calculations, the rent ceiling for a single person has increased to 293.68 euros. The final amount of the assistance depends on the household's income, composition, housing situation, and other factors. While the scale has increased, the actual effect on each recipient will vary. In Martinique, the term "APL" is commonly used to refer to all housing assistance, but legally, there are three distinct types: the APL, the Aide au Logement Familial (ALF), and the Aide au Logement Sociale (ALS). These are not cumulative. In Martinique and other overseas departments and regions (Départements et Régions d'Outre-Mer or DROM), the APL is not generalized to ordinary rental housing as it is in mainland France (l'Hexagone). Instead, it has been extended to group homes in the DROM. For many Martinican tenants living in regular homes, the assistance received is more likely to be the ALF or ALS. The rent ceiling for a single person increases by 3.34 euros, for a couple by 4.09 euros, and for a household with one dependent by 4.60 euros. However, the actual increase in assistance depends on the household's income. A change in income could reduce the effect of this revaluation. For households whose situations remain unchanged, the new scale could result in a slight increase in assistance. The amount of housing assistance can also change when a beneficiary's family or professional situation changes. The decree also affects assistance for social access and for exiting unsanitary housing, which are specific to overseas territories. The ceilings for these assistance programs have been revalued. For a single person, the monthly ceiling increases from 310.85 euros to 314.42 euros. For a couple, it increases from 381.09 to 385.47 euros. For a household with one dependent, the ceiling rises from 412.53 to 417.27 euros. With two dependents, the ceiling increases to 431.73 euros, compared to 426.82 euros previously. This revaluation aligns with the 1.15 percent increase and is particularly significant for Martinique, as the decree directly connects housing assistance policy to issues of social access and the fight against unsanitary housing. The revaluation follows rental prices without disrupting purchasing power. It is important to consider this announcement in context. While the scales have increased since October 1, the 1.15 percent revaluation is relatively small. This change may lead to a slight increase in assistance for some households, but it does not significantly alter the functioning of housing assistance or the burden on households with rent much higher than the set ceilings. The new ceiling of 293.68 euros for a single person in Martinique highlights the gap between official rent limits and actual market prices. The September 28 decree provides a small real adjustment but also raises broader questions about how well housing assistance scales reflect the true cost of housing in Martinique.