It started at the beginning of January with the part-time hiring of 2 employees in Montpellier, a Romanian and a Nigerian. But within two years, theassociation Solenciel intends to allow twenty former prostitutes to change their lives, in Montpellier as in Nîmes. On the strength of its experience in Rhône-Alpes, the association offers companies cleaning services that allow these highly motivated women to retrain. And it works.
An idea that germinated among prostitutes in Grenoble
At the origin of the association, young prostitutes who questioned volunteers in Grenoble, in 2017, during a marauding organized to help victims of prostitution.
“If you really want to help us, we need a job and a place to get by, and why not in the cleaning industry!” they express.
No structure then offers this service. One of the volunteers questioned, Rodolphe Baron (now volunteer president of the association) seizes the idea. This is how Solenciel is born.
About thirty former prostitutes converted into “cleaners”
Since then at Grenoble, the association has hired in 3 years on CDI a few 25 « cleaners » as they are called by an Anglicism which can be translated by “cleaners”, or rather cleaners.
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Then an antenna is opened to Lyon where 4 former prostitutes, the vast majority of foreign women, were finally able to leave the network thanks to these cleaning jobs.
For the most part from Guinea or Nigeria, the “cleaners” of Solenciel in Grenoble have succeeded in leaving the world of prostitution for a long time.
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The agency Montpellier started recruiting 2 weeks ago. To date, two women, former prostitutes in Nîmes and Montpellier, have signed their contract.
[NDLR: Par souci de sécurité et de confidentialité et pour ne pas compromettre la démarche courageuse des deux employées ayant débuté leur nouvelle vie depuis quelques jours à Montpellier, nous n’avons pas souhaité révéler plus de détails de leur parcours antérieur.]
As for their new job, if it is a little early for a first assessment, they both say that thanks to it they have regained their balance, peaceful sleep and lots of energy.
The city of Montpellier chosen for its tourist attraction
Why Montpellier after Grenoble and Lyon? Certainly prostitution is important there, but it is the lot of all the big cities. The choice of the association to establish itself here is strategic. Montpellier is a very touristy city. And not so far from another large attractive metropolis, Toulouse. The director of the new branch, Gwendoline Fasano, who previously managed the association in Grenoble, hopes a lot from the service conciergerie Airbnb, from which it has already received several requests for quotes in Montpellier, to develop Solenciel’s activity. It must be said that the system of managing the household and laundry of rental accommodation was booming in tourist areas, until the arrival of the Covid.
Take care of the laundry and cleaning in complete autonomy: Airbnb’s concierge service is a boon on which the association relies a lot to develop.
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« Suddenly, at the moment, it’s a quieter time to train people ” positive Gwendoline Fasano who hopes that the housing rental activity will resume soon. Ultimately, Solenciel expects about twenty “cleaners” to be recruited over 2 years between Montpellier and Nîmes. Several women have already contacted her to apply.
“The prostitutes of the two cities are starting to learn about it by word of mouth and even if the law now gives them the status of victims, they are strong women, given what they have gone through … often foreigners in situation asylum seekers who show great will if they finally have the hope of being able to change their lives “
These companies that help the reintegration of prostitutes
In total, in France, around sixty clients (hotels, Airbnb concierge, company offices, associations, school, restaurants and stores) have chosen to go through Solenciel for cleaning services. A “militant” choice, in a way, the fate of prostitutes leaving few people indifferent. And the returns are good, proof of this is the development of the association.
A Montpellier, three companies have already signed a contract with Solenciel, which administratively remains the employer of “cleaners”.
“Since the beginning of January, our premises have been cleaned every week by the two Solenciel employees. We have signed a 1 year renewable contract by tacit agreement. “ explain to us Hilaire, one of the managers of a coworking space located near the station Montpellier. More than 100 m2 of premises on two floors, with a large “openspace”, 3 offices and two bathrooms.
“The first contact was great and we quickly realized that the two women are very active and very involved in their work. They are totally autonomous, have free access to our premises and come in the evening, when the offices are empty ”.
A choice that is both “militant” and pragmatic
Using a cleaning company employing former prostitutes became obvious for this association:
“In essence, our co-working structure is intended to be a place of integration, so getting these women who want to integrate to work, that was the logical next step” Explain Hilary.
And then the services offered by Solenciel are completely comparable, in terms of price, to the previous services chosen by this employer. “We set a precise amount and had several quotes made” explains Hilaire.
“We are an association that does not run on gold and we chose Solenciel’s“ cleaners ”for a price substantially equivalent to the others … and with rather better results for the moment! “
An association that guarantees the salary of its employees
The basic principle is that the fruit of their work goes to the “cleaners”!
No question for Solenciel to “replace” the former pimps by “” taking advantage “of the work of the cleaners. Here, women are hired on permanent contracts. They have the choice of the number of hours of the contract but often prefer part-time to full pay because at the same time they follow French classes and have to get out of time-consuming administrative procedures to reintegrate, when they do not have children to raise.
The former prostitutes are therefore employees of the association which does not benefit fromno state aid under subsidized contracts but which is financed by private foundations to the height of 60,000 euros per year and by branch for 18 to 24 months, before reaching 100% self-financing as in Grenoble.
In addition, the association supporting the “cleaners” is reduced to the maximum: a manager by antenna more volunteers and 75% of the turnover is dedicated to the salaries of cleaners and cleaning products. And when this turnover exceeds the break-even point, as is already the case in Grenoble, the cleaning ladies will share the “profit” in the form of prime or reinvest it in the structure if they wish.
In order to be able to employ this foreign workforce, the association must ensure that the administrative situation of each employee is in order.
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In each of the cities, the manager is responsible for finding companies signing a cleaning contract with the association and also manages, in order to be able to establish the employment contracts, all the administrative part because it is above all necessary to ensure the authorization of work for these foreign women often awaiting regularization after their asylum application.
Complicated administrative situations
Concerning the former prostitutes from Eastern Europe, like this romanian mother already hired in Montpellier, these are European nationals and it’s easier. But they need employment contracts to gain rights, especially housing. And in the meantime, the Romanian “cleaner” had to find temporary accommodation.
But the vast majority of prostitutes are African, Nigerians and Guineans often in a situation asylum. And in principle in France, asylum seekers do not have the right to work. The new Nigerian recruit of the association in Montpellier was fortunately able to benefit from “exit from prostitution” device set up by the State following the law on the decriminalization of prostitution of 2016 which recognizes these women as victims. It is a support and integration system, and we know that the royal road to integration is work. Hence the authorization given to the association to hire the young woman.
A Grenoble, the task was simpler. There, the prefecture grants in principle an exceptional exemption so that asylum seekers can work while awaiting regularization. But this is not the case elsewhere and Solenciel cannot, to date, hire asylum seekers in Montpellier.
Horizontal management for strong women who take charge
After having groped a bit, the association realized that it was by letting the “cleaners” manage their work that the motivation and involvement of the cleaning ladies was maximum. Thus, the “horizontal” organization set up in Grenoble and Lyon over the past year has become widespread.
“It’s a team organization”, explains Gwendoline. “5 cleaners have roughly a portfolio of 20 companies and each team has its own turnover which is used for 75% to cover salaries and employer charges. They manage everything themselves, from daily contact with the employing companies from their schedules to their holidays. I find new clients and can help manage problems if there are any, but they are the ones who make the decisions. “
Take control of both your choices and your body to regain self-confidence.
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“These women come from an environment where hierarchical relationships are very violent and since they take charge of their work, they get involved, are empowered and have more self-esteem”.
The recognition of the “public utility” of Solenciel
As for local, financial but above all logistical aid to carry out the reintegration mission by limiting the association’s expenses, nothing has been done for the moment but Solenciel already enjoys the support of several elected officials. It is impossible to remain insensitive to the action of the young Montpellier association in a city where prostitution (difficult to quantify, in particular since the curfew has accelerated access to apartments through the internet) remains a scourge that is today. there are still hundreds of victims in Occitania.
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