In Nantes, between 700 and 1000 Romanians live in extremely precarious conditions in a former recycling center. It is one of the largest slums in France. But the metropolis wants to recover the location. His escape plan, “ a resorption » in its terms, plans to support families by offering them accommodation. An ambitious project of 80 million euros which has just started and an immense human challenge.
From our correspondent in Nantes,
It is at the foot of the blue chimney of a waste treatment plant that Adrian, 26, has built his life with his wife, his two children and his parents. Beneath their feet, an old open-air landfill. They were among the first installed in 2018.
Philippe Barbo is the founder of several associations supporting Roma families. Witness to the settlement of 700 to 1,000 people, including 40% children, most of them out of school, in this slum, for him this situation is the result of a policy of around twenty years : “ One, a hot potato policy: families who came from other municipalities which expelled them. Two, the policy of inaction: for fifteen years, we did nothing. And then, it’s the politics of decay. »
Few, like Philippe Barbo, have been interested in the fate of these Roma. They did not choose the Nantes region by chance to settle down: “ The Nantes region offers prospects for unskilled work. They have rural agricultural origins in Romania and therefore [ils connaissent] work in market gardening and viticulture. And they have almost complete annual activity records. »
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“ Integration through housing »
But this workforce will have to leave. Nantes Métropole wants to recover the location for its urban ecology center which plans in particular to expand the adjoining recycling center. A resorption rather than an expulsion, in his terms, with a social diagnosis of families which has just begun.
“ The goal of Nantes Métropole, which defends integration through housing, is: those who can enter housing directly enter it and that represents 10, 20, 30% maximum », explains Philippe Barbo.
The others could settle on temporary integration land, always with the aim of integrating into ordinary housing to promote their inclusion. But this has its limits, according to Philippe Barbo. “ Of course we defend common law, but we can see that that does not necessarily meet the demands of these families who have very family-oriented lifestyles. And social housing today cannot respond to this type of lifestyle. So we could also imagine other modes of housing, for example family plots where they could live with the large family. »
Another obstacle: rent. Some go back and forth to Romania and are not able to pay during these 2-3 months of absence. But that’s not the case for Adrian. He dreams of housing for his family and can pay rent. “ If we work, it’s normal, if we want to be integrated into Franceyou have to follow the rules of France, you have to pay for everything, like everyone else », assures Adrian. But he will have to be patient, the operation must last 4 years.
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