Social and Employment
Place
Rheims, France
Sponsor
Antoine Pennaforte
Grant(s)
20 000 € to the Selection Committee at 2009/09/29
Project leader
"For me, the principle of doing everything possible to give complete intellectual freedom to handicapped persons, by accompanying them medically and by helping them perform a maximum of tasks alone, is absolutely fundamental. They are positioned right at the heart of this project, which is moreover implemented by a powerfully human community."
Antoine Pennaforte
To enable physically handicapped persons to live - almost - like everyone else, to open to the outside world, to participate like anyone else in the life of the city, to take part in theater, the association La Sève et Le Rameau has assumed this ambition since its creation in 1988. To do this, it first created a hostel in Rheims designed to accommodate 22 handicapped persons in studio apartments, plus a daily welcome service, temporary shelter, and finally installed apartments with services à la carte.
At Charleville-Mézières, it opened a meeting place.
For its new project launched in June 2008, it has decided to refurbish the hostel of Rheims, in order to medicalize the first twenty-two studio apartments and create sixteen new ones.
Thirty-eight medicalized studio apartments
When this refurbishing apartment is completed, thirty-eight persons will be able to enjoy medicalized housing. And over and above the new indoor facilities, twenty-two additional jobs will be created for medical or paramedical professionals, making a total number of seventy-one employees. Doctors, physiotherapists, auxiliaries and social supervisors will relay each other in this home to provide the most attentive care to the residents and the persons welcomed during the day. The refurbishing operations will terminate in March 2010.
To participate in this substantial improvement in the quality of life of the residents, the Veolia Foundation has decided to help La Sève et le Rameau to buy suitable furniture. Within a few months, the persons welcomed will thus be able to achieve greater self-sufficiency and overcome some of the problems that their condition imposes, to live the life of a free citizen, full and varied.