- Bagage'Rue is a social baggage store that allows homeless people to drop off their belongings safely.
- It is the only structure of this type in the metropolis and is starting to run out of space.
The Bagage'Rue adventure began in June 2018 in Lyon. The objective was simple: Offer a luggage service in a place (7th arrondissement) of trust for the homeless "Sleeping outside while being afraid for your business is a bit of a double punishment", explains Lucille Marcelin, coordinator employee of the association. She was one of the initiators of this project in which the association has always wanted to involve the first interested parties. "We created this luggage storage for the homeless but especially with them".
A participative approach that does not stop at the simple fact of coming to drop off your suitcase. Indeed, each person who pushes the door of Bagage'Rue becomes, in fact, a member and can get involved as much as they wish in the life of the luggage storage. Like Jérôme, one of the first “baggage handlers”, who is now part of the board of directors. "It is a way of involving them, that they feel useful, of breaking the caregiver / helped relationship," underlines the coordinator.
Victim of his own success
In 2019, a total of 274 “baggage handlers” deposited their belongings. On average, there are permanently 200 pieces of luggage stored in the premises which have now become too narrow to respond to all requests. For Lucille Marcelin, "this proves that this is a real need, but also that more is needed in the metropolis". Indeed, Bagage'Rue is the only association that offers this service for the more than 3,000 homeless people in Lyon.
A parenthesis in a difficult daily life
The association does not replace the multiple existing social structures. “The homeless also need a place where they think about something else. Here, they pose their problems at the same time as they put their luggage down, ”adds the coordinator. During the hotlines, which take place four days a week from 7 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. and from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., baggage handlers can empty their heads around a hot drink.
Sekou is a luggage user. He even became the “star” according to the volunteers. This tall young man always smiling appreciates the parentheses which they pass here: "I come to take a coffee, to discuss. I know my things are safe, there are only good people here. And then I also come to take advantage of the wifi and recharge my phone, ”he laughs. He too is one of those baggage handlers who have become active volunteers. Mourad also. He has been coming to drop off his stuff for two months and he stresses the importance of a place like this. “It really takes our weight off and it helps us in everyday life. I don't have to carry my stuff everywhere, all the time. Like when I go to work or when I do administrative procedures, ”says the man with no fixed roof.
Few women push the door
Of the 274 baggage handlers, only 39 are women. For Lucille Marcelin, this can be explained by the fact that they "hide more than men". “It is more difficult for women to face their difficulties openly. They will manage on their own to provide for their basic needs ”. The feeling of insecurity which dominates in front of a majority of men probably also explains their weak presence. “When a woman is here, I have to sort of privatize the locker room to make sure she is quiet. It is not always easy for them to come to the luggage room, which is often full of men, ”adds the young woman.
To respond to these problems, Bagage'Rue is today seeking to increase the number of hotlines per week, and is considering opening slots reserved exclusively for women. To do this, they are looking for additional volunteers.
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