Toulouse. The association La Barque soon without premises
“Where will these people go who every day find here a little comfort, human warmth”, wonders Chantal Beer-Demander, who with Carmen Creyssels, is in charge of the association La Barque, place of reception of day for a precarious public created forty years ago. Located on the Ile du Ramier, the site is due to close on October 20 to make way for local technology as part of the redevelopment of the Grand Parc Garonne by the city of Toulouse. “This room could be operational elsewhere on the island of Ramier”, notes Chantal Beer-Demander, who specifies that since 2016, more than 10,000 people have passed through the door of the association La Barque. Open three afternoons a week (Monday, Wednesday and Friday), this place run by volunteers takes care of this public and allows them to take a break, read, play, chat, have a hot drink, have their hair, thus breaking an often difficult daily life.
“Despite the assurance of the town hall on the future of this premises, we see nothing positive, attests Carmen Creyssels. On October 20, we have to return the keys and watch these people in distress scatter everywhere and make them fat precariousness on the sidewalks of Toulouse”. She asks: “Does aid to people in precarious situations still have a place in Toulouse?”
The support of the municipality
However, the town hall of Toulouse is far from having left the case as it is. In charge of Solidarity in the City, Daniel Rougé received this association in September after warning it of the situation in advance and helping it find solutions, in particular by sharing premises with other associations. “Proposals not accepted, says the Capitol. The association also received information to file a request for premises which would then have been studied”. For its part, the association does not endorse his remarks. “The City has never accompanied La Barque in a specific process. We were only waiting for that. From now on, the days are numbered and for lack of a solution, we will have nothing else to do but dissolve La Barque”.