“ I discovered the place while walking down this busy streettestifies Pierre, 27 years old, small beard, glasses, and checkered shirt. Since then, I come back regularly after work, it creates a habit”. The young man ordered a sour cherry syrup at the counter. “ It’s good, it’s in season », he smiles, going to one of the tables in the café.
A prime location in the heart of the city, large bay windows that bring in the spring sun, “cozy” light wooden furniture, a counter manned by friendly volunteers: the solidarity café Le Fraternel, inaugurated by Secours Catholique at the fall 2023 has something to seduce. This is good: it is open to everyone, people in precarious situations or not, local residents and workers, students, elderly people, etc.
“ I am a self-employed teacher of French as a foreign language. Before I go home, I need a break to clear my mind, continues Pierre. Here, I can sit down, have an exchange, even a quick one, and a drink for only 1 euro. It’s economical, and the place is beautiful, not stigmatizing. » Modestly, Pierre adds that he crosses “ a moment of turbulence” in his life. “ I found a quiet, “resourceful” place here. »
We realize how much people need to talk!
In the “lounge area” with soft green cushions, Isabelle and Jean-Pierre, a couple aged 58 and 57 whose modest daily life we can imagine, chat with Marie-Noëlle, one of the three volunteers opening the café on this Wednesday afternoon. This is our reserved place », says laughing Isabelle, who wears a mask and leans on a crutch. “ The people here are all welcoming, we feel good, we listen to you », observes Jean-Pierre. There is a trust “. The couple will spend the whole afternoon there. “ We realize how much people need to talk, confirms Marie-Noëlle. Sometimes we are complete strangers to them, and they give us their whole lives “.
Listening, exchanging, welcoming others without prejudice: this is the raison d’être of Fraternal. The twenty volunteers who take turns to run it on opening days serve coffee, tea, hot chocolate (organic or fair trade, thanks to a partnership with Artisans du Monde) and syrups of all kinds for 1 euro (30 cents for those who are in difficulty). But above all, they approach customers, start conversations, listen attentively.
Michelle sat down opposite Clément, a regular. The latter suffers from a motor disability which slows down his speech. “ I am socially isolated, he confides. I’m 45, and at that age, people are often in relationships or families, they don’t have a lot of time to devote to other relationships. With my disability and my difficulties in communicating, I am out of step. So coming here allows me to see people, to chat… In short, to have a good time “.
