Shower, eat and chat, exchange, this is what people in very great difficulty come to look for at Point d’eau, in the Île Verte district, in Grenoble. The association was created in 1991. It has just moved into its new premises, rue Joseph François Girot. Olivier Véran, the Minister of Health, cut the ribbon this Friday evening.
– Shannon Marini
Here, Olivier Véran is on familiar ground, ten years ago, then deputy for Isère, he had visited the old premises, and he found Richard Diot, the president of the association. “We had 180m², in a dilapidated space, today we have 483m², we can accommodate people with more dignity, there are more showers, machines, services and reception. It’s very positive. “
Promises… and a campaign
Christophe Ferrari, the ex-socialist president of the metropolis and Éric Piolle, the green mayor of Grenoble also made the trip. The latter insisted on recalling his opposition to the Republic on the move. “In ten years, we are far from our Republican promise to have no more homeless people“, he launched at the beginning of his speech. According to the Abbé Pierre Foundation, the number of homeless people has doubled since 2012.
– Shannon Marini
This little spike did not go unnoticed. “I prefer to stop listening to themreplied Olivier Véran, I believe that there are places to engage in politics, and places where we respectfully bow before the general interest carried by the associations which shows us there the example of what they expect of us. No bickering in these conditions.”
Local authorities and public institutions financed a third of the new premises. The state donated 200,000 euros.