On Thursday 28 October, the Fondation Abbé Pierre inaugurated its Boutique Solidarité in Valenciennes (North of France), which has been renovated as part of its partnership with Eiffage Construction. The inauguration was represented by the General Delegate Christophe Robert, administrators and members of the team. Eiffage Construction was represented by its president, Olivier Genis.
Eiffage Construction has been a partner of the Abbé Pierre Foundation since 2005 and provides full support to the Foundation through financial, in-kind and skills sponsorship for the renovation of the Boutiques Solidarité (day centres) and Pensions de Famille in its network throughout France.
The 28 Boutiques Solidarité in the Fondation Abbé Pierre network offer people in serious difficulty daily services to meet the most basic needs (hygiene, food, mail reception, etc.) and provide personalised support (housing search, administrative assistance).
The 40 Pensions de famille are places where people suffering from isolation and having difficulty living in independent accommodation are accommodated for an unlimited period of time.
Over the past 16 years, the partnership with Eiffage Construction has enabled the renovation of 7 Boutiques Solidarité and boarding houses in the Foundation's network: the Boutiques Solidarité in Reims, Gagny, Beauvais, Perpignan, Mantes-la-Jolie and Valenciennes, as well as the boarding house in Laval. Two boarding house renovation projects are currently being studied in Alès and Cavaillon.