12/24/2020 | Pierre Hurmic, Daniel Palmaro, director of Clairsienne, Georges Pouzot and Michel Dronneau, managers of Bordeaux Compostelle Hospitalité Saint-Jacques.
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Initially dedicated to welcoming pilgrims on their way to Santiago de Compostela, the Maison du Pèlerin located 28 rue des Argentiers, in the Saint-Pierre district of Bordeaux, has been hosting from December 4 until mid-March , four young people in precarious situations. An initiative that was able to see the light of day thanks to the joint work of the city of Bordeaux, the landlord Clairsienne, associations such as Bordeaux Compostelle Hospitalité Saint-Jacques, tenant of the premises and Tous à l’Abri and the Abbé Pierre foundation.
Important stopping place located in the historic heart of Bordeaux, the Pilgrim’s House welcomes from April to October, several hundred people on their way to Santiago de Compostela. A tradition of accommodation that has continued since 2014, the date of its creation but which, this year, for obvious health reasons, had to be suspended; theassociation Bordeaux Compostelle Hospitality Saint-Jacques, tenant of the premises, seeing himself then in the obligation to request the exceptional support fund set up by the City to be able to pay the rent and the charges. “It was then that we met Camille Choplin, deputy mayor in charge of community life. And it was on this occasion that the idea was born to take advantage of the winter months when the Maison du Pèlerin is closed, to welcome people in difficulty, ”explains Michel Dronneau, president of the association.
A project that was made possible thanks to a tripartite agreement between the City of Bordeaux via its CCAS, the Abbé Pierre Foundation and the Bordeaux Compostelle Hospitalité Saint-Jacques association; all with the agreement of lessor Clairsienne. Aged 19 to 26, four young people took to the premises at the beginning of the month with the certainty of spending the winter in the shelter. Followed by a social steward who accompanies them both in their life within the House and in their various steps outside, they must take advantage of this time to work on their integration project with the aim of ultimately accessing, to autonomy. “It is for these young” first dropouts “to prevent a longer break, the consequences of which could be marginalization or the beginning of wandering”, specifies Yasmine who assists them in this course.
A thoughtful model
“We took care of all the logistics, the financing of the rent, the charges, the internal operations. We have created the post of housekeeper that Yasmine occupies and that we have housed by the association “All in the shelter “. This economic model is well thought out. It has a value of general interest. And besides, places like this, there are plenty. You are in a region of 12 departments which has no less than 400,000 vacant homes, ”remarks Pascal Paoli, New Aquitaine director of the Abbé Pierre Foundation.
“According to INSEE, 11,000 homes are vacant in Bordeaux, some of which are for purely speculative reasons. Since we have been at the town hall, we have done a lot of inventory work and we have also discovered semi-vacant housing during part of the year. We will see if we can help ensure that they no longer remain so. The advantage in this case is that they are premises that can be lived in immediately ”, continues Pierre Hurmic who, visibly seduced by the concept, wishes to develop it in Bordeaux. As for the young people, although theoretically accommodated until March 15, they will continue, if necessary, to be followed by the Tous à l’Abri association; the success of the project through the fact that none of them end up on the streets in the spring.
By Emmanuelle Diaz
Photo Credit: ED
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