- The Point Hygiène Accueil Reliance has been open since January 27 in Villeurbanne and primarily accommodates homeless families with schoolchildren.
- They now have access to shower rooms, a laundry room or even a rest room in the old changing rooms of a sports club in the town.
- A place that should quickly fill up, the metropolis with few baths.
For seventy years, the Foyer Notre-Dame des Sans-Abri has been helping the poorest and trying to reintegrate them into a society that has forgotten them. It is with this in mind that the Lighthouse (Point Hygiène Accueil Reliance) has just been created in the premises of the Georges-Lyvet stadium in Villeurbanne. Open since January 27, this day center includes showers and a laundry room. At the origin of the project: proposals from a citizen jury, in connection with the Collectif Bains-Douches and the Notre-Dame des Sans-Abri home.
“There are already reception structures, but very few are open during the day and even fewer have showers and laundries. It is a real need for families, ”explains Catherine Tremblet, service manager for the home.
A place for families with children
The Lighthouse is made up of two buildings. The first is a day care space where families can come to rest, eat, enjoy a hot drink or even learn about their rights thanks to the presence of a social worker. The second is an old sports locker room rehabilitated to accommodate collective showers. The laundry room is also located here, where visitors can wash their clothes. At the entrance, they will be given all the necessary products for this (shampoo, shower gel, towel etc ...).
Even if its aim is to provide for the needs of the greatest number, the Lighthouse is mainly intended for families who live in Villeurbanne and in particular those whose children are schooled in the town. Families who have been referred here beforehand by social workers in the area. However, some may go by other routes. "Since the opening, we have already received five families who have come through word of mouth," explains Catherine Tremblet.
“Unexpected” needs
Not all of them necessarily come to use the showers. "Perhaps naively, we thought it was going to be the case, but the main demand is for washing machines. Families often arrive with several bags full of linen, ”notes the service manager. At the day reception too, the volunteers were surprised. “What we are asked the most are balloons or rackets so that the children can play outside. They really need to have fun without thinking of anything else, ”says Catherine Tremblet. Even in terms of food, the first families revealed their preferences. Not that they shun soup, bread or sweets, but no food offered rivals cheese. "He's very successful," she smiles.
The foyer is open Mondays, Tuesdays and Saturdays from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Wednesdays and Fridays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. He is also looking for volunteers.
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