More than 100 companies in France are offering one of their rooms, usually a meeting room, to homeless people. After hours, they can sleep in it, take a shower, and prepare food.
In a small room that looks like a student studio located between offices and meeting rooms, just steps from the famous Champs-Élysées avenue in Paris, Tami spends his nights after sleeping on the street for a few months.
In the evening, this Ethiopian young man’s shelter became the headquarters of France Foundation, a network of charities. On the second floor, in a usually unused room measuring about 15 square meters, employees provided him with a bed and a desk where he could continue his French language lessons.
The young man, who has refugee status, said: “On the first night I was afraid, but now I’m happy to be here.”
Like Tami, 250 homeless people have found temporary shelter thanks to the Bureaux du Coeur association, which was founded in 2021.
Anna Jardin-Lefevre, CEO of Handicall, a call center that employs people with disabilities, said: “When I presented this idea to my colleagues, the answer was a big yes right away.”
She has been participating in the Bureaux du Coeur system since July and two young men have been accommodated in one of her offices in Étampes in the suburbs of Paris.
The first one stayed there for five months until he completed his vocational training. After getting a job, he left his foldable bed in the meeting room and moved to a youth workers hostel.
All people who are accommodated must start looking for a job and a home. This is an obligatory condition imposed by the association, which also sets a maximum period of six months of reception.
To reassure companies, participants must not suffer from addiction or mental disorders. They are also not allowed to invite people to the offices provided to them.
Juliette Bou, a volunteer in Bureaux du Coeur in Paris, said that in “90% of cases things go well,” adding that “the biggest fear of companies is knowing what they can do if there is a problem. It is rare but it has happened before, and we simply stopped the reception.”
Anna Jardin-Lefevre agrees, saying: “A person in need will not do something bad that will harm himself by not respecting the place.”
**Volunteer Juliette Bou adds that of the twenty people who are currently being accommodated in Paris, there are three women, explaining: “They are certainly a minority; because in this age group, they often have children, which makes them ineligible for this special reception.”
And if most of the participating institutions are small and medium-sized companies, they are not all from the social and solidarity economy like Handicall.”
Bou adds: “We have recently collaborated, for example, with a large group of agricultural food industries.”
The conditions for a company to become a host are simple: that there be a room where a foldable bed or sofa can be placed, an adjacent toilet, and a space with a refrigerator and microwave.
Companies must also convince insurance companies, as the usual contract does not provide for the reception of people outside working hours. Anna Jardin-Lefevre said: “When I contacted my insurance company, they saw that the project was great, and I got approval within 12 hours.”
Everyone realizes that this system is not the solution to the problem of homelessness. But Bureaux du Coeur institutions can be part of the means that allow going a little further, says Thierry Bloyard, responsible for the working environment at France Foundation.
The initiative has been praised by social workers and homeless advocates. They say it is a creative way to help people who are often overlooked.
“This is a great example of how businesses can work with the community to address social problems,” said one social worker. “It’s a win-win situation for everyone involved.”
The association is now looking to expand its reach to other cities in France.
