“Before, I lived with my mother. Now, I have the feeling that I have taken off, ”says Cyrille with a smile. Disabled, this inhabitant of Rouen opened the doors of his apartment to us on Tuesday, September 28, 2021 on the occasion of the inclusive habitat day organized by the Department of Seine-Maritime. With Fabienne, his roommate, he is installed in a modern residence since May 3, 2021, located in the West district. And all this was made possible in particular thanks to the support of ARRED (Rouennaise Association for the Rehabilitation of Deficient Children).

Inclusive habitat is a housing solution for the elderly and the disabled. The beneficiaries, like Cyrille and Fabienne, live in private spaces, but share common living spaces and a life project. They can, according to their needs, apply for social or medico-social assistance, as is the case with ARRED.

Appropriate your home

Return to Cyrille and Fabienne, who assure their hearts that “everything is going well with the neighbors. We are really well installed ”. A fan of cars, Cyrille brought back his childhood cars that he installed on a shelf. He also shows his many films on Blu-ray, his video games and his console, and above all, the large television in the living room, of which he is very proud.

Fabienne, instead, prefers the tranquility of her puzzles, which are scattered around the apartment. The last one in progress, displayed on the kitchen table, contains several thousand pieces. In this small modern and finely furnished cocoon, the two residents are located right in front of the ARRED foyer, a place of accommodation for disabled workers. There, they can meet up with the association’s teams, chat and have a coffee with the residents of the home, as well as other beneficiaries of inclusive housing in the area.

We have 13 inhabitants supported by ARRED since June. It’s a project that has been going on for a year and a half, and of which we are very proud.

“Since I was offered this possibility of inclusive housing, I said yes, because I want to move forward in my life,” says Armand. With Coralie and Mélanie, since May he has been living in a large apartment located in the same residence as Fabienne and Cyrille.

“We know each other before at home with Coralie and Mélanie. The roommate is going very well. We cook each other in our turn. We are really more independent, ”inform the residents. Working in the Rouen region, the three roommates were able to discover the pleasure of having a place of life that they were able to make their own.

Personalized help

While they enjoy the autonomy of living in an apartment that belongs to them, residents are not on their own. Emeline Lesage is an educator at ARRED. It is she who takes care of accompanying the residents of the residence. “We make the link with their workplace, we organize group activities, such as outings to the swimming pool, in parks”, she explains, insisting that the support is made “according to their needs. and their request ”.

Under curatorship, residents are also assisted with tasks such as paying their charges and rent. “Even if they live independently, they need benchmarks,” continues the educator.

An initiative supported by the Department

On the occasion of inclusive habitat day, the Seine-Maritime department, via its President Bertrand Bellanger, recalled the fact that “we have been campaigning for many years to promote and support inclusive habitat. We must be in a logic of proximity with each of our inhabitants ”and“ continue to develop inclusive housing in the region ”.

The president also insisted on the commitment of the community in the creation of shared living assistance (AVP), an individual assistance to people who make the choice of inclusive habitat, and whose objective is to accelerate the deployment of this type of device.

Allowing people with disabilities not to feel excluded and isolated, and offering them the opportunity to move forward in their life project, these are the objectives likely to respond to inclusive housing.

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