A family from North Macedonia and living for 10 years with their four children near Grenoble in Isère, fears being evicted from their home. The municipality, which plans to sell the premises temporarily occupied by the family, assures that no measures will be taken during the winter break.
Company
From daily life to major issues, discover the subjects that make up local society, such as justice, education, health and family.
France Télévisions uses your email address to send you the “Society” newsletter. You can unsubscribe at any time via the link at the bottom of this newsletter. Our privacy policy
In Fontaine in Isère, the end-of-year celebrations rhymed with worry and gloom for a family from North Macedonia. Arriving in France in 2014, this family, who wishes to remain anonymous, fears finding themselves on the street in the weeks to come.
“We are a family of six and we have lived in Fontaine for 10 years. My parents, my brother and my two sisters do not have papers. It is only me who has a residence permit”, explains the eldest son of the family.
Despite several years of support from the municipality and local associations, the family's situation remains unstable. Upon their arrival, the parents and their four children were first given emergency accommodation by the La Relève association. Between 2016 and 2018, the family was housed in vacant premises located on rue Yves Farge.
In 2023, after the municipality's decision to demolish the building, they were relocated to a five-room apartment under a contract of “temporary occupancy fee”. In December 2024, the family was informed by the municipality that these premises were going to be sold.
“We are going to sell all of these premises. We informed the family that the apartment was going to be sold so indeed, we made it clear to the family that in a few months these apartments would have to be vacated”explains Franck Longo, the mayor of the town of Fontaine.
Upon allocation of housing, “there are several points on which the family was committed, in particular a rent of 150 euros per month. We agreed on this price with the family because we knew they had modest incomes. Unfortunately the rent was never paid“, regrets the mayor of Fontaine.
I work and try to hold on as best I can. I pay the electricity and gas bills. I earn 550 euros per month. With this money, I couldn't pay for everything.
Despite several attempts to regularize their situation, only the eldest child, now aged 20, obtained a residence permit. Parents and other children remain in an irregular situation, which complicates access to work and social housing.
“I work and I try to survive as best I can. I pay the electricity and gas bills. I earn 550 euros per month. With this money, I couldn't pay everything.” explains the teenager who currently benefits from a one-year Youth Employment Contract (CEJ) allowance.
In addition, an unsanitary report would have revealed serious damage to the apartment, making the “uninhabitable housing” according to the mayor of Fontaine. There was a lot of damage in the apartment, the offices downstairs were flooded. The situation is extremely complicated. We cannot leave a family, especially children, in unsanitary conditions.” he specifies.
An observation that the family does not share. “Our house is not dirty, we are a clean and decent family,” says the eldest child, who fears the worst for his 5-year-old brother and his two sisters aged 13 and 17. “I'm very worried about them. They grew up here, and they don't deserve to be left on the streets.”
The City of Fontaine is not going to evict this family during the winter break. It is out of the question to put children on the street during this period.
Franck Longo, mayor of the commune of Fontaine
This Monday, January 13, associations including Education Without Borders Network (RESF) mobilized in front of Fontaine town hall in support of the family. “This extremely precarious family, whose two children attend school in Fontaine, received the letter announcing an eviction procedure.. In the middle of winter and while the mayor's wishes took place last Friday. We find it's unbearable”, deplores Alexandre Le Coq, member of RESF.
Faced with the possibility of eviction, the mayor indicated that the family could stay in the accommodation until the end of winter, due to the winter break. “The City of Fontaine is not going to evict this family, particularly during the winter break. It is out of the question to put children on the street during this period,” reassures Franck Longo.
Thanks to the help of the local Fontaine mission, a service dedicated to young people aged 16 to 25, the eldest in the family could soon benefit from social housing. “But in a T2, we can't live with six people otherwise we'll suffocate, it's very complicated,” he worries.
While the prospect of expulsion worries the family, the mayor of Fontaine announces that he will make a report to the department of Isère, which, according to him, has the competence to reassess the family's situation.
Related News :