The new social residence at 18 rue Bara, in Montreuil, in the east of Paris, is inaugurated this Saturday, June 3. The Bara home is emblematic and historic for immigrant workers since it has welcomed thousands of Malians who have immigrated to France for 60 years.
The Bara home is the story of the fight for decent housing. Today, for the past month, 160 people have been rehoused individually in fully equipped studios. The home is a brand new five story building. A new beginning for former residents: “ Here are the changes in rue Bara, we are satisfied. We came, we are very happy. We are in paradise! »
At the old Bara home, there were 526 and even more. All of these workers were relocated to five residences in Montreuil and rue Bara. The communist mayor of Montreuil is at home here, sitting on the bed of one of the 160 residents. It was he who had declared the building of the home uninhabitable, he too who had requisitioned a state building pending this reconstruction. “ It was totally outrageous. There were cockroaches. And me, what struck me when I came to sleep was that there were even people sleeping in the corridors, under the mailboxes. Gradually, there had been great degradation of this home. The situation had become dangerous, unhealthy and very harsh. And there, by contrast, we are in real accommodation, in something beautiful », rejoices Patrice Bessac.
Rebuild a residence on Bara Street
For the communist mayor of Montreuil, it was important that ” the home on Bara Street remains on Bara Street ” And ” that we rebuild at the very location of what is the historic gateway for Malian immigration to France “. “ Often people, before knowing the Eiffel Tower, knew where Bara Street was. It was the place where we met to reconnect with the community and, perhaps, to take the first steps in the immigration process.”relocates the mayor of Montreuil. “ Sometimes, I believe that Montreuil has a France in advance, because we have a non-hateful, non-angry way of solving our problems “, hammers the chosen one.
With this new building, Nathalie Paganardi, accommodation manager, believes that now people here “ are happier”. “When we moved, they jumped into my arms. Already, they find their old site and moreover, they are all alone in their room, with a kitchen. It’s wonderful to see them smiling again. They’ve been waiting for this for so long.” The cost of the works of the Bara residence is more than 11 million euros.
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” We always keep the same solidarity with the people of Montreuil »
Toumani Traore, delegate of the Bara household and spokesperson, at the microphone of RFI: “ This is a five star hotel for us. There were a lot of ups and downs. The home was built: 5 floors, individual rooms… It’s perfect. We even have toilets, showers, etc… It won’t be like before because before the beds were bunk and there are bedrooms. But we always keep the same solidarity with the people of Montreuil who supported us and who always came to help us when we needed it. We can’t trade like before, it’s not the same way of life. It changed. It’s a new beginning because after 50 years, the Bara household needs to change ».