Students/Elderly people: living together to avoid isolation

After the Bac, Benjamin joined an IUT in Paris, far from his family who could not provide for all his needs, in particular housing. “I had friends who put me up, apartments that were lent to me. It’s been the worst year of my life.”says the young man. And then, there was this meeting, with Martine Guffroy. “I found myself alone because my husband went to nursing home, I did not want to leave my house, and I received a message from a friend who was looking for accommodation for a young person who was in trouble”she says.

Martine’s pavilion having become too big for her, she transformed her attic into a small studio. “I had a hard time accepting that it was my home”says Benjamin Burlandy. A contract governs their cohabitation, according to which Benjamin is supposed render services to the one who welcomes him. “It’s true that when you’re in a house alone, if something happens to me, no one will know”recognizes Martine, who welcomed Benjamin a year and a half ago.