The Protestant Social Center of Geneva is celebrating its 70th anniversary. The CSP which must cope with ever more beneficiaries and its funds are dry. Alain Bolle, the director of CSP Geneva, was invited by Béatrice Rul, at 7:30 a.m., to launch an appeal for donations.
The CSP Geneva is celebrating its 70th anniversary. A beautiful age but at the same time, we say to ourselves that it is also a shame to celebrate this anniversary, because it means that precariousness has by far not decreased, in Geneva, quite the contrary…
“It’s a reality. We would be satisfied and happy to say that the CSP is decreasing, the CSP has less need to be present, this is not the case. The CSP is still growing and responding to the needs of the population in the limit of one’s means I say it very loudly because every time we are invited to speak, people ask us. I am not criticizing those who sometimes ask us late, but it is. the reality, we are a private association which lives on donations, which has a very small service contract with the State of Geneva, which produces its own wealth thanks to other donations in a circular economy system where we have flea markets and second-hand stores. that But sometimes we have the means which cannot keep up with the needs of the Geneva population which continue to grow.
“We are in the process of renegotiating a new service contract and we are faced with resources that are still limited, responses that do not meet needs”
What is your budget? How many beneficiaries?
“The 2024 budget is a little more than 14 million, it’s 140 employed people, it’s 50 people in integration, 140 volunteers. We complete the budget with a bit of State participation to the tune of around 10% of this budget This is clearly not enough. We are in the process of renegotiating a new service contract and we are faced with resources which are still limited, answers which are not up to par. the height of the needs. I think that there is a role for the strong associative sector which tries to plug the holes in the racket. This role must continue to exist. of the CSP, like the independence of other entities, it is also based precisely on this relationship with the State, in relation to the share of subsidy that we receive, we have this autonomy, this capacity, this responsiveness, this capacity to have answers that are adapted to needs. When there was the Covid crisis, it took us about a week to completely reorganize and then be on the street, alongside the people of Geneva, on food issues. Fundraising is an extremely important element for us, it’s project financing, donations too: 1.2 million private donations, from people who support us, from companies who support us each year. But there is a growing need, with a significant number of people calling on us. We have some funds that exist at the CSP, which allow us to provide an immediate response, and these funds, today, as of this morning, they are dry.”
“I am launching an appeal here: the solidarity fund is dry”
Two months before the end of the year, as winter approaches, the most delicate period for you, you could not meet the needs of the Geneva population?
“We can’t, we are in great difficulty. I am launching an appeal here: we have a fund called the solidarity fund, which allows us to give the first helping hand to people who ask us, this solidarity fund, it is at zero. We have other funds which are based on links with private foundations. Unfortunately, these funds have been very requested by the collaborators, and this in connection with the precarious situations of the people who approach us. We have a fragility of the middle class lower, which is in a situation where income is irregular. Some of the people who contact us have several jobs, following the COVID period and yet they cannot make ends meet. Immediately, today, we. “We cannot meet the needs of these people. We will have to look for new funds, we will have to look with partners so that we can complete the end of the year.”
