Isabelle and Huguette work at the Marie-Paticat nursing home in Saint-Paul-lès-Dax. “We offer story or poem readings to residents, but often they prefer to talk about their lives. » Claude, civil servant, two children, due to lack of choice, was forced to accept a rent which represents half of his salary. Bottom line, she had to call for help. Today, she has gone from beneficiary to volunteer and runs the social bar Chez René, market square in Saint-Vincent-de-Tyrosse.
“These testimonies clearly illustrate the role of Secours catholique volunteers, who must bring together a desire and a need or want to return what has been given to them,” explains Jeanne-Marie Boudant, the association’s delegate for the Countries. of Adour.
During the meeting to present the actions carried out in 2024, Friday November 15 in Saint-Paul-lès-Dax, she also recalled that “Secours catholique does not have a state mission. It is a unique association broken down into 76 delegations, including that of the Pays de l'Adour, which brings together Béarn, Landes and the Basque Country. Our mission: to reduce poverty and isolation and to experience fraternity. »
Deterioration of living standards
Using the terms of the report on the state of poverty 2023, which has just been published, the delegate underlined “that beyond the contours of multiple and complex poverty, which characterizes today's exclusion Today, Secours catholique is warning of the deterioration in the standard of living of the poorest and the difficulty in accessing social protection in the face of the dematerialization of administrative procedures. »
Les Landes has 476 volunteers who work in 24 municipalities. In 2023, 6,269 people were met individually. 619 people were helped. At the heart of the action are reception, solidarity shops and support for families. Food aid represented a cost of 11,920 euros (22.8%), energy 6,560 euros (12.5%) and transport 52,294 euros (or 48.34% of the total amount of aid, which was 52,294 euros). Figures which signify the specificity of a very extensive department.
“A tragedy for the homeless”
During the winter period, the Mont-de-Marsan day center, in partnership with several other associations, serves 115 breakfasts per week. On the other hand, it will be a year since the Dax day center closed its doors. “We are not parasocial workers. It is no longer possible for us to provide this service for reasons of resources and the safety of volunteers,” explains Jeanne-Marie Boudant. Anger of Emmanuel Klein, the representative of Right to Housing, who denounces “a tragedy for the homeless and a municipal desire to exclude them from the city center”.
In the opinion of all present this Friday, housing and the extension of deadlines for obtaining social housing is “a major problem, from which everything arises”. Also highlighted was the increase in the non-recourse rate (request for access to rights), “resulting from the dematerialization of administrations, which have become more distant”.
