change of project around the Joséphine-Baker youth residence

Barely out of the ground, the Joséphine-Baker youth residence is already making waves. She was at the heart of the tense discussions on Thursday June 20, 2024, during the general meeting of Cap habitat jeunesse (formerly l’Escale), which was initially to be manager.

The past is essential: the Cap habitat jeunesse association learned, during a meeting on June 3, that Semie (a mixed real estate company) wanted to keep control of the project. A shortfall, certainly, but also a turnaround in the project, she deplores. It will no longer be a youth housing residence, with a high level of supervision for the integration of young people, but a social residence for active young people, which no longer allows minors to be accommodated and promises much weaker social supervision.

These are potentially young people currently hosted in other residences, doomed to closure because they are dilapidated, who would be left without a solution overnight. Thus, seventy accommodations will close on December 31 at the La Roulière residence, and not all young people will meet Joséphine-Baker’s criteria, particularly minors.

“It’s the Orient-Express against the Michelin! »

“The residence that will open will not at all meet what young people expect from the current residence: support. It’s the Orient-Express against the Michelin! », was moved by the vice-president of Cap Habitat Jeunes, Jean-Michel Felon. The national (Unhaj) and regional (Urhaj) Union for youth housing had made the trip, in support. “It’s no longer the same project, in fact, said Marianne Auffret, general director of Unhaj. There are people behind! »

Even the Departmental Council, represented by vice-president Olivier Poiraud, said it ” worried “ turnaround: in fact, the youth housing residence supported young people from child welfare.

The elected officials of the Niortais agglomeration community (Can) Nicolas Videau and Christian Brémaud highlighted a precarious financial situation of the Semie, weighed down by inflation of costs. To be able to complete the construction and obtain a loan, the banks did not wish to maintain the partnership with the Cap habitat association, whose medium-term viability was in question.

People versus money

Visibly uncomfortable, Nicolas Videau announced that the association could be “associated with the social support of the residence”. Outcry: “With what funding? » employees and administrators are upset. “There was a problem of consultation”, conceded Christian Brémaud, vice-president of Can in charge of housing, claiming to have himself been sidelined by the community’s technical services. The loss of the youth habitat residence label could also result in the loss of subsidies from the Caf or the Region.

The exchanges quickly take a political turn. “It’s a political choice, said Pierre Fougereau, administrator of the association. You use Cap habitat jeunesse as a fuse to sort the population,” believing that some will no longer be able to find accommodation in the new residence. “You do this for money, not for young people!” “, added another. “It’s your territory that will suffer from this,” lamented the general director of Unhaj. Its only goal, “it was that a residence was rising from the ground”insisted Nicolas Videau.

National level

While the agreement excluding Cap Habitat Jeunes was signed in the prefecture the day before, the National Union has not ruled out taking legal action and bringing the matter into the national spotlight. And this so that the case sets a precedent for other territories. A meeting is planned for July 3, between project financiers. Some already believe that it is too late.