Place in Grenoble: copy a structure to adapt to the homeless Formerly called the "transition", The Place is a place of accommodation and for homeless people living in Grenoble. Place is in many ways what is best in home for homeless people, with consequent problems and diverse. Nineteen men and women settled in the thirteen bungalows (some with futuristic were recovered in an exhibition of eco-housing) that line the small land lent by the municipality. Formerly dependent on the winter plan, The Place is now open year-round (as part of AISI, as hosting stabilization), and since moving to the new site two months ago, the center is open throughout the day. Persons living can invest in better places.
reception conditions and operating rules are more flexible than more traditional structures (which does not in any way that they do not exist). Alcohol is tolerated (except in public areas), the animals also (They are sometimes more likely than housed). Laumet for David, director of the structure, the goal of an educational and social support as it is conducted here requires breaking with the logic of emergency and humanitarian aid in order to include intervention in the long term. No limit to the length of stay, no turnover, and unlike conventional CHRS, no injunction in the project either.
is another conception of the person that is put into practice instead. Another way to practice social intervention whose motto might be one of recognition, acceptance and adaptation to the characteristics and problems of those admitted. Accommodation is in line with its realities and its immediate needs. Thus, the principle of non-abandonment is a common denominator, it is possible to adapt to relapse, crisis, showing that whatever happens, the relationship may be reversed where the person 's had left. For example, if a hosted decides to go try his luck in Britain, it leaves him time to try out life there and it does not replace the foot lifted. If after 15 days, he recalls, explaining that he finally feels unwell and that he would return, it is quite possible. For members of the teams of educators, the fact that The Square will become a landmark in itself is even a small victory.
Within the team, the approach is strongly reflexive. The constant questioning about the practice, far from being a hindrance, becomes the condition for progress in any trial and error experimentation. Solutions and rules, far from being given in advance, are invented every day. Anything that raises questions or concerns to educators or hosted must be discussed. The team has such open discussion about the rules to adopt in terms of hygiene, risk reduction, or not on the closure of the gate or when the dogs were found to outnumber their owners, causing fights and wounds ... Much is expected of people accommodated: they not comply with binding rules and immutable, but they become able to express their views on life within the structure, involved in small projects around the structure (as a partnership with School of Architecture to create a workshop, organizing concerts at the center of the rack, an activity garden ...). In this mode emerges the impression of a greater proximity between the teaching staff and housed, and a strong attachment to each instead.
So even if everything is not rosy and that the problems of insulation, moisture, conflicts are all part of everyday, we can safely say that it is this kind of structure whose need the most weak and marginalized people homeless. Since March and the perpetuation of the structure, 16 of 19 people are still housed in these places. Those who were previously immersed in wandering and had the habit of blowing up the cadres of other structures in the region have managed to "settle down a bit. To Place, grants for 2009 are to survive, but 2010 is still immersed in uncertainty ... Yet much remains to be done: the common premises are too small do not hang together all meals, accommodation can not have Key to their bungalow lack of funds. For the adventure can continue for long years, it remains only hope Square gets funding commensurate with its ambitions. Also hope it serves as an example for the realization of initiatives of this type and others, like David Laumet and his team can bring and keep alive living spaces adapted as The Place.
