The Ukrainians in Lyon, six months later
On August 24, the yellow and blue flags will once again be raised in the streets of Lyon. Ukrainians and supporters must hit the pavement to denounce the six months of war against Russia, and celebrate, more than ever, the 31e independence day anniversary.
A few days earlier, on August 19, Grégory Doucet shook hands with President Volodymyr Zelensky during a visit to Ukraine, accompanied by a dozen other mayors of major European cities. A meeting serving to reaffirm the support of the City of Lyon to the Ukrainians, and which resulted in the conclusion of a cooperation agreement “to contribute and provide support for the rapid and sustainable reconstruction of Ukrainian cities”.
Since the beginning of the conflict, City, Metropolis, prefecture, administrations and associations of Lyon have put themselves in Ukrainian battle order to welcome these uprooted citizens as best as possible: nearly 37 tons of donations included in the district town halls, a plane chartered by the Métropole to transport equipment, simplified administrative procedures thanks to the one-stop shop set up in Villeurbanne.
Strong support
For their part, the Bellecombe and Vivier Merle gymnasiums, made available and fitted out by the City, have been transformed into an emergency accommodation center for three months. Social landlords and the Métropole have granted empty housing to the association Habitat et Humanisme, enabling 200 people to be housed. Citizens opened the door to their homes.
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As a matter of urgency, accommodation has gradually become permanent for Ukrainians. “As available places and accommodation exist in other departments of the Region, all that remains is to convince the Ukrainians, the vast majority of whom would prefer to stay in the metropolis, to move away a little”, points out Amandine Mansoni, head of the emergency accommodation unit at Habitat et Humanisme.
“We have noticed that people find it easier to find a job outside of Lyon. An advantage when you know that Ukrainians have a great desire for integration”she adds.
6,300 transits of Ukrainians through the Rhône
Thanks to their temporary protection status, nationals can, in fact, have faster access to employment and social assistance. “It allows them to fit in more easily. This is the first time that this status has been activated since its creation by the state in 2011,” assures Sylvie Tomic, assistant to the City, who “Congratulations on the mobilization of the entire Lyon fabric”.
A land of welcome, the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region is the third region that has welcomed the most Ukrainian nationals. According to the Prefecture, 6,300 of them passed through the Rhône, the vast majority through Lyon. Several hundred still live in the capital of Gaul.
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“We must learn a lesson from the success of this reception to apply it to those who also experience exile, but who do not come from Europe”, tempers Renaud Payre, vice-president of the Metropolis in charge of housing.
If the fervor of demonstrations and solidarity has waned – volunteers are fewer, housing offers are decreasing – the Ukrainian humanitarian crisis is not over. Every day, around fifty exiles continue to be welcomed by the Red Cross at La Part-Dieu.
At the bus station, a few buses turn back towards Ukraine. Contrary to what one might think, few Ukrainian nationals return permanently, most leave for holidays, to see their families and especially the men have stayed in the country. Some will return to Lyon, or elsewhere, where a new life, to be defined, awaits them.
One foot in Écully, the head in Ukraine
Part of it is written on the Écully campus, in the heart of summer, where the students have left and calm reigns. Opposite the École centrale and a stone’s throw from EmLyon, life abounds in one of the buildings of the Campus for Higher Education and Vocational Training (CESI). No engineering students or science lessons at 19 avenue Guy-de-Collonges, but restless babies and tired-looking adults.
Since April 4, 72 Ukrainian nationals, including a dozen children, have been graciously accommodated by the Métropole, owner of the building, in this establishment which has been vacant for three years. Reception and installation of families, support with administrative procedures, moral support… The Notre-Dame des Sans-Abri association and its team manage the place and take care of its new occupants.
“The biggest challenge was to make a building that had no accommodation vocation at all habitable”, points out Michelle Trillaud, site manager. In a maze of alcoves, the classrooms have become bedrooms where an average of four people are housed. As in a small village, family names are plastered on the doors.
In place of the amphitheater, residents will soon enjoy a large shared bathroom. From 70, the number of places has recently increased to 120, the adjacent building has just been completely refurbished. “I’m getting a new family tomorrow, and three more during the week”, admits Amadou, a social worker.
Specialty of the day: mushroom soup
The noise of work and drills is omnipresent in the establishment, as in the kitchen, and is the subject of numerous debates during the council of social life which brings together a handful of inhabitants. In addition to the collective kitchen delivery system, some would like to be able to cook their own meals, constituting one of the last links with their native land.
Natalia, 70, did not wait to concoct one of her favorite Ukrainian specialties: mushroom soup. Leaning over an extra electric hob, the flirtatious septuagenarian sniffs the aroma escaping from a large saucepan. “Every day, I prepare meals for my family”, smiles the retiree who arrived in France with her daughter, her gender and her 13-year-old grandson.
In the corridors with flashy yellow walls, signs in French, and Russian write the directions and the number of the rooms. The language barrier was also one of the main difficulties for the Lyon association. “Few speak English or French. We were helped by students and volunteers during the first months, but there is something missing”, points to the manager.
Fortunately, the precious Andrei is still there. A Ukrainian who has lived in Écully for 13 years, he works as a volunteer interpreter in the center whenever he can. “It was obvious to help, but it is a tiring mission. Often people empty out and everything goes through us. We relive the difficult times with them.he explains.
“The hardest part is learning to live without prospects”
Sitting on an armchair in the hall, Angelica, 50, a marked face. Her gentle gaze mists at the mention of her husband who stayed in Berdiansk, a territory still occupied in eastern Ukraine. “There is no longer a mobile network and the Internet there, but we call each other as soon as possible. The hardest thing is to learn to live without prospects, we hope every day that Ukraine will become a peaceful country again, but it is not in our power”, Angelica sobs, her cheeks streaming with tears, Andrei’s hand on her shoulder.
If it is complicated to project oneself for these torn families, life follows its course somehow. Among the adults, about 10% have found a job, the others are working on language lessons or administrative paperwork.
During the day, the center is almost deserted. Alina, 20, a young brunette with bright blue eyes, planned to go see Ukrainian friends near Vaise. “I met them when we lived in the Bellecombe gymnasium when we arrived in Lyon and since then we have always been in contact. »
Like Alina, most of the residents of Écully first went through the Bellecombe gymnasium, transformed into a transit accommodation center managed by the Red Cross, transferred since mid-June to Vaise, in a former SNCF building. .
It was also in this gymnasium that she met volunteers and employees from Lyon who encouraged her to take up piano lessons again. “We were doing music competitions and I lost against a Russian,” jokes the young woman, more motivated than ever to enroll in the conservatory at the start of the school year.