That morning, the wooded neighborhood of Pont du Cens, in the northwest of Nantes, was plunged into mist. On the edge of a body of water where a heron sits majestically, the Adoma social residence houses more than a hundred people waiting for housing: single women with children, refugees, part-time employees, job seekers … It is at the foot of this tower that “L’itinér@nte”, one of the caravans of the association Le Coup de main digital, was stationed for several days, which goes out to meet residents to pass on the basics of digital and facilitate administrative procedures online.
This space module-like machine, which unfolds using a remote control, houses two offices separated by a small kitchen, offering an intimate and comfortable welcome. “Some older people feel overwhelmed by technology and develop an aversion to doing things online, notes Laetitia Raymond, digital mediator and former teacher, who deploys her educational fiber in the fight against electronicism. But they are not the only ones. We all need human connections, not spending our lives behind a computer.»
“Elected officials and associations cannot give up”
In small furnished apartments, designed as a transitional solution which often lasts forever, very few tenants are equipped with computers. Their only entry point for administrative procedures is their smartphone. This is the case of Hibaaq, a refugee in France with her three young children. This Somali woman must apply for a travel document to go on vacation to England, but she is unable to complete the process on the website of the Digital Administration of Foreigners (Anef).
After forty minutes of waiting on the helpline, Laetitia Raymond managed to identify the origin of the problem with an advisor, who asked her… to send an email to resolve it.
«We regularly train in all online procedures, continues the mediator, who spends an average of an hour with each person. SAbove all, we show people how to do it so that they can become independent afterwards. » Between the dematerialization of administrative procedures, the decline of public services in rural or peri-urban areas and the scarcity of healthcare provision, mobile units aimed at reducing isolation and social or territorial inequalities are multiplying.
«Faced with this desertification, we have elected officials, associations and foundations who do not give up and launch initiatives having in common the human presence and concern for the general interest.comments Nicolas Blouin, director of the À vos care association, organizer of the first Aller vers festival in Saint-Nazaire, which will bring together around forty actors from all over France (health, employment, culture, solidarity, etc.).
Complex requests
Back in the caravan. Chahera, a single mother going through a divorce, is relieved to have found the cheapest possible mobile plan with the mediator to limit her expenses (€5.80 per month, without commitment). “It’s very nice to feel useful and to see people leave with a smile», confides Laetitia Raymond, who feels more helpless when requests go beyond the scope. “Many residents come to see me to speed up their request for social housing. Unfortunately, I can only check if their file is up to date…”
Sadam, a 31-year-old Sudanese waiting for housing, comes precisely for a more complex problem. With his smartphone, he is unable to make an appointment with a general practitioner for pain caused by a bicycle accident. “You have to insist because you can’t stay like this,” advises the mediator, who provides her with a list of medical practices that have checked the “welcome new patients” box on the site. “A rare commodity”, she agrees.
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“Going towards”, another logic against isolation
“Going towards” designates an approach by the professional (health, culture, solidarity, employment, etc.) which goes beyond a counter logic to reach out to audiences far from traditional aid for reduce social and territorial inequalities.
These mobile units (trucks, caravans, scooters, etc.) are supported by local associations, business foundations or large national structures such as the Red Cross or Médecins du monde.
Health prevention trucks, a traveling cinema, a digital caravan, a mobile kitchen, a shower truck, an orientation bus, etc. will be present at the Aller vers festival in Saint-Nazaire.
