By Anthony Soudani
Published on
–
–
–
Place de la République, everyone knows Ishmael. Whether they are shopkeepers, residents or even regular passers-by on this main artery of the 2nd arrondissement of Lyon.
Friday March 25, the camp which was in front Spring has been dismantled. Ismaël and Nico, who were still sleeping there, were relocated to a shelter and social reintegration centre.
Solidarity place of the Republic
The day before he left the camp, Thursday March 24, News Lyon met Ishmael. He was in great shape that day. A sunny early afternoon on the Place de la République as he likes them. He greets the florist, “Hi sweetie! »and go see the kiosk.
“The florist fills us with water bottles, the kiosk charges our phones and Grandpa Jean-Marc, a local resident, brings us bread. Their solidarity really helped Ishmael and those who have lived in this camp since June 2020. “Once, we were 8-9 sleeping here,” he recalls.
The dangers of the night in the street
He also remembers nights when a girl was still sleeping here. “I have work to do in terms of protection. At night, I have all the alcoholics in town who come and knock on our tents…” Not without pain, he evokes the nights at -4° C, -5° C, this winter.
Ishmael has been living on the street for some time and yet it is not for lack of work. “Adecco is just calling me right now,” he enthuses. Construction machinery driverhe is continually solicited by the employment agency specializing in temporary work.
No accommodation for lack of guarantors
A job that does not give him the possibility of obtaining a habitat worthy of the name. Why ? “I can’t get accommodation because they ask for guarantors. I don’t have any, my parents are dead. »
He knows that alternatives exist, with associations that vouch for people like him, alone and to whom life has given no gift. “All these papers, it takes my cabbage. I would have to ask myself, but how do you keep papers in this environment? »
“I want a single room”
Worried about the accommodation solution that will be offered to him, Ismaël gave his conditions to Sandrine Runel, solidarity assistant, when she went to see them two days before the end of the camp: “I want a single room or with someone I know. Profiles need to be sorted. »
He tells Jean-Michel, his cook friend who often visits him: “The other time, I was staying with a foreigner. I went away and when I came back he was wearing my sandals…”
Ismaël is now housed in a housing and social reintegration center in Lyon. He wants to look into the paperwork to finally get his own place.
Was this article helpful to you? Note that you can follow Actu Lyon in the My Actu space. In one click, after registration, you will find all the news of your favorite cities and brands.
–
