Who is the ADL non-profit?
ADL is a registered French non-profit (loi 1901) based in Caumont-sur-Aure (14240, Calvados). Official identifiers: SIREN 842 229 916, SIRET 842 229 916 00015, VAT FR04842229916.
Our mission is clear: help homeless individuals in France regain sustainable housing and declared employment, by activating every public scheme available — first and foremost CESU URSSAF and the French housing aids. We never act alone: we work with social landlords, shelters, and above all private employers ready to hire through the chèque emploi service universel.
Key figures: URSSAF, CESU and homelessness in France
To understand the importance of CESU URSSAF and the fight against homelessness, here are the key figures (sources listed at the bottom of this article).
Why these figures matter
CESU URSSAF is a massive, simple answer to declared domestic employment in France. At the other end of the spectrum, more than 300,000 people live without a home. ADL bridges that gap — between this legal employment demand and people who ask only to work with dignity.
Understanding URSSAF in 5 minutes
URSSAF (Union de Recouvrement des cotisations de Sécurité Sociale et d'Allocations Familiales) is the French public agency in charge of collecting social contributions that fund the entire French welfare system: healthcare, pensions, family allowances and unemployment.
The central role of URSSAF
Every time an employer declares a worker — a company, an association or a private individual — URSSAF calculates, collects and redistributes the matching contributions. This is what allows every worker to accumulate rights: pension quarters, healthcare reimbursements, daily sickness benefits and unemployment rights.
"No URSSAF means no social rights. No social rights mean no sustainable return to work for the most precarious."
— Guiding principle of ADL
URSSAF and private employers
URSSAF has built a simplified scheme dedicated to private individuals who want to hire someone for domestic activities: CESU URSSAF, allowing declaration of a worker in a few minutes, with no complex paperwork.
Everything about CESU URSSAF
CESU URSSAF is the official acronym of the Chèque Emploi Service Universel operated by URSSAF. It transformed declared domestic employment in France. It is aimed at private employers who want to pay a worker legally for everyday tasks.
Activities covered by CESU URSSAF
- House cleaning and home maintenance
- In-home childcare (not in nurseries)
- Private tutoring at home
- Gardening and small DIY tasks
- Assistance for the elderly or for people with disabilities
- Meal prep, ironing, groceries
- In-home IT assistance
Why the chèque emploi service universel was created
Before CESU URSSAF, declaring a domestic worker was an administrative nightmare. Result: lots of undeclared work, few rights for workers, and a loss of contributions for social protection.
The chèque emploi service universel simplified everything: an online platform (cesu.urssaf.fr), a single account, a monthly declaration in a few clicks, and URSSAF handles the rest. Result: more declared jobs, more open rights, less undeclared work.
The chèque emploi service universel explained
The chèque emploi service universel is not a paper "cheque" in the classic sense: it is a comprehensive scheme managed by URSSAF that exists in three forms:
| Type | Description | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| CESU Déclaratif | Monthly online declaration at cesu.urssaf.fr | Regular private employers |
| CESU Préfinancé | Nominative token (paper or digital) funded by an employer, a CSE, etc. | Employer benefit — like meal vouchers |
| CESU Bancaire | Cheque booklet issued by banks (being phased out) | Existing bank clients |
For ADL, the most used format is the CESU Déclaratif, perfectly fitting the recurring domestic jobs we facilitate.
How to declare a worker via CESU URSSAF
Five simple steps for a private employer:
- Create a CESU URSSAF accountVisit the official cesu.urssaf.fr website and open your private employer account in under 10 minutes.
- Agree on conditions with the workerDefine tasks, schedule, and net hourly pay (URSSAF computes the gross).
- Declare the worked hours each monthLog into your CESU URSSAF account and report the hours worked the previous month.
- Pay the social contributionsURSSAF automatically calculates and debits the contributions via SEPA mandate on your bank account.
- Receive the 50% tax creditYou receive a 50% income tax credit on the amounts paid (wages + contributions), within the annual legal cap.
And for the worker?
The worker receives a monthly digital payslip directly from URSSAF, accumulating the same rights as any other declared worker: pension, sickness, unemployment, paid leave.
ADL's role: from CESU URSSAF to leaving the streets
Here is how ADL concretely combines CESU URSSAF with the fight against homelessness.
1. Initial accompaniment
We meet each person, listen to their journey, open unactivated rights (French income support, healthcare, administrative domiciliation) and stabilise their administrative situation.
2. Training for domestic jobs
Together with partners, we offer short trainings: house cleaning, customer-facing soft skills, gardening basics, safety in childcare, etc.
3. Connecting employers and workers
We identify private employers in the region who want to hire through CESU URSSAF and introduce our accompanied profiles. The employer–worker relationship is then direct.
4. Housing accompaniment
Once a declared job is secured via CESU URSSAF, we file housing aid applications (APL, ALS) and activate DALO or intermediary leasing when needed.
5. Long-term follow-up
We remain present at least 12 months after the exit from the streets to secure the new situation.
"Hiring through CESU URSSAF is more than help with cleaning: it gives a homeless person an address, a declared income, social rights, and a payslip they can show a landlord."
— ADL guiding principle
Advantages of CESU URSSAF for private employers
- Administrative simplicity: everything online, no mandatory paper contract for short jobs.
- 50% income tax credit on amounts paid, within the legal cap.
- Legal security: no ambiguity on the worker's status, fully compliant with French labour law.
- No undeclared work: your worker is protected, and so are you.
- Social impact: hiring through ADL directly contributes to fighting homelessness.
Case studies: anonymised testimonials
Karim, 47, formerly homeless in Caen
After two years on the streets following a divorce and job loss, Karim was referred to ADL by a social worker. In six months: French income support reopened, gardening training, and matching with two private-employer families. He now works 25 hours per week declared via CESU URSSAF, lives in a studio with APL housing aid, and has reopened his pension rights.
Mireille, 58, after a stay in a shelter
Mireille lost her home after a long illness. ADL helped her reopen her complementary health coverage and matched her with a retired woman wanting a few hours of help per week. Declared via CESU URSSAF, she obtained social housing thanks to her new payslips.
First names were changed to preserve anonymity.
Frequently asked questions
Who can use CESU URSSAF?
Any adult resident in France can become a private employer through CESU URSSAF for non-commercial in-home activities (cleaning, childcare, gardening, personal care, etc.).
What is the difference between CESU URSSAF and Pajemploi?
CESU URSSAF covers in-home employment in general. Pajemploi is another URSSAF service dedicated specifically to childcare by a registered childminder or in-home caregiver, under the CAF's CMG scheme.
Is CESU URSSAF free for the employer?
Yes. The CESU URSSAF service itself is fully free. The employer only pays the worker's net salary and the URSSAF contributions — amounts then reduced by 50% via the income tax credit.
How does ADL financially help the people it supports?
ADL is not a direct financial-aid provider. Our mission is to open existing social rights (RSA, APL, ALS, complementary health, etc.) and to connect people to a declared job through CESU URSSAF.
How can I support ADL?
Three main ways: make a donation, volunteer, or hire one of our supported individuals via CESU URSSAF. Contact us to discuss.
Go further
- URSSAF — urssaf.fr (official information).
- CESU URSSAF — cesu.urssaf.fr (official platform for private employers).
- Service Public — service-public.fr (legal framework of CESU and housing aids).
- Public estimate of homeless people in mainland France, government and non-profit sources 2024.
- ADL 2024 activity report (internal statistics).