Par
Luc Salles-Cazeaux
Published on
June 29, 2024 at 1:12 p.m.
See my news
Follow Toulouse News
Offer an ecological and functional house to homelessthis is the solidarity project that the Icam students, Toulouse engineering school. The keys to this 12m low-tech “tiny house”2 were given to the association of Friendship brotherhood group (GAF) on May 3, 2024 near the site of the Maison de Naubalette, in the Sesquières district.
It took two promotions of 4th years of Bachelor international de l’Icam to finalize this project now anchored near the GAF community house.
“We were put in a concrete situation where we had to start a project from something that already existed. The foundations and walls were already made by the previous class,” explains Arnaud Languillon, chief engineering student.
The school has allocated a budget of 10,000 euros to each class, with a small overrun bringing the cost of this little house to 21 000 eurosentirely donated to the association.
Water and heat recovery systems
A large part of the “tiny house” was developed in front of the Icam Fablab. “We had one dedicated day per week but we came to work on weekends and in the eveningssometimes until 11 p.m.,” says the 4th grade student.e year.
In its finality, the cottage is intended to be ecological and low-tech (sustainable and useful). For heating, a slate boiler (solar heater) stores solar radiation and restores the heat inside the house. It can be turned off in summer.
The green roof with succulent plants, resistant and insulating exterior wood and dry toilets reduce various consumptions.
In the equipped kitchenette, the waste from the sink are directly recovered via a “phyto-purification” system, filtration by plantsto be reused in the vegetable garden. “Everything has been designed to reduce the carbon footprint as much as possible,” says Arnaud Languillon.
Work linked to the needs of the GAF
Generally speaking, the work was carried out with “ lots of autonomy from the students with whom I worked as true colleagues,” remarks with pride Jesús Villalobos, project coordinator at Icam.
From start to finish, the 37 future engineerssome of whom were Cameroonian, Congolese and Brazilian, maintained a constant link with the Friendship Fraternity Group. Several drafts had been proposed to the association, which had the “final say” on what it wanted.
They also received help from Electricians of the worldmostly from EDF, “came voluntarily to turn on the power and dig and cut it”.
A step before reintegration for the homeless
In the long term, this tiny house is not intended to receive a permanent tenant since the community carries out ” rotations in all places to live,” says Vincent Batsère, coordinator of places to live at GAF.
It should enable former homeless people to become financially independent from the community of ” benefit from a stage before reintegrating. We realized that those who left our accommodation often got tripped up and ended up coming back,” recalls the volunteer.
A participation of 155 euros minimum is required to have the house. “We add 10% what the beneficiary receives RSA surplus. The tiny house allows them the autonomy they need.”
The Friendship Fraternity Group (GAF), a human and united project
For almost 30 years, the GAF has been linked to Catholic relief. The first place opened by the Toulouse city hall opened in 1995 after homeless people militantly squatted a house. They contested the political responses deemed “dehumanizing”. The GAF works to accommodate and professionally reintegrate around thirty homeless people. Today in Toulouse, the association manages the Naubalette community house, apartments in Sept Deniers, 2 halfway houses, tent spaces in the Toulouse hamlet and a boarding house for former homeless people.
Follow all the news from your favorite cities and media by subscribing to My News.
