The situation of this district of Saint-Laurent-du-Var is unique to say the least. Largely emptied of its inhabitants, Point-du-Jour continues to get by with those who remain. All are awaiting their rehousing and the demolition of all the towers.
Next on the list? 5. The tenants who remain feel lonely, they point the finger at Côte d'Azur Habitat.
“Everyone is fed up”
“You can’t imagine the joy we feel when we see the place open”says a resident as she enters the Agasc social center. Every Friday morning, coffee and tea are served in the room to maintain connections. “People feel abandoned, not listened to. Everyone is fed up, rehousing takes a lot of time”breathes one of the two employees of the association.
Outside, there is not a soul alive. Nobody passes. “There are only about 120 people left”says a resident. She has lived here for 24 years. Her features are drawn, she can no longer stand the place. And confides: “I can't wait to leave. It's been two years since nothing has been repaired. The social landlord doesn't say it clearly. He announces, for example, that he hasn't found the broken part to restart the elevator . Or use second-hand parts and it breaks again after two days.” It only takes one person to start describing their daily life for others to join the conversation: “We live in conditions that are outside the law”protests another resident.
“We have to stop taking ourselves for idiots”
“The demolition of the neighborhood has been planned for years and now we are being told that there are not many apartments available? Rehousing has been planned from the beginning, we must stop taking ourselves for idiots.” She describes her living conditions: “There is no elevator or it works for two days and remains out of service for two months. We no longer have any lights in the common areas, we have rats the size of cats.”
The few women present this Friday morning, October 11, denounced together: “How can we explain that only the bare minimum is being done but that the amount of charges has not decreased?”
A resident of tower 3 asserts: “Like everyone here, I pay 149 euros in charges per month but I have no elevator or front door to my building.” Julie, the Agasc employee, asks: “And the heating?”. “Don’t walk”respond the three residents, disillusioned.
The social landlord says he is “fully mobilized”
Questioned by the residents, the social landlord says “ fully mobilized » and assures that “ all complaints are processed and repairs will be carried out ».
Questioned on specific points, such as the presence of rats, Côte d'Azur Habitat replied that “ rodent control operations are maintained “. And elaborates: “ Since January 2024, five rodent control interventions have taken place. As of October 15, 2024, two interventions [étaient] planned for the entire residence, for a total amount of 1,200 euros (non-recoverable in charges). »
Only one elevator out of service
Regarding elevators, the social landlord ensures that a single device “ is out of service ». « Extensive work is necessary to put this elevator back into service. All the parts have been ordered, and the project, the cost of which amounts to €45,700 including tax, [devait débuter] on November 12, 2024. In order to alleviate this situation, the AVIE association has set up a porterage service, available every Wednesday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Since its shutdown, maintenance charges for this elevator have been suspended. »
Regarding the exasperation of residents at having to pay such high charges, Côte d'Azur Habitat assures that they are ” calculated as a group then distributed pro rata to the living space, corrected or individually for equipment “. Still according to the lessor, the total amount of expenses relating to charges has decreased by a little more than 7,000 euros between 2022 and 2023. “ The provisions are updated each year in order to take into account changes in estimated expenses and to cover the sums incurred for each accommodation. »
