The first to open the door of the Burgundy social center, at the end of February, comes to collect a registered letter. At reception, Aida Secq is not a postman, but she has followed training. That morning, she provides services related to mail and packages, in addition to registration at the leisure center.
When La Poste closed in this district of Tourcoing (North), in the midst of urban renewal, a solution had to be found. It was the end of 2019. In a few months, a new post office will open, in “la Halle”, a building which will house a few food shops, a police station, a nurses’ office and France services. In the meantime, we had to cope.
“Here, social problems are very serious, the population is very impoverished. Around a third of residents only live on minimum social securitysummarizes Harold George, the director of the social center, which has 680 member families. We are here to welcome the entire population, support residents’ initiatives, promote their emancipation and create connections. »
So, when, on January 31, social centers took to the streets, throughout France, to warn of the decline in their resources, the mobilization was obvious. “We informed residents and families of what was happening and that we were in danger. Right away, they said: “Can we come to the demonstration?” “, says Célia Holmes, family representative.
Literacy classes full
She shares her office with a few colleagues, just behind reception. Whoever wants can enter. We sit there to drink coffee, talk, or confide an inextricable situation, a distress. “We take the time to listen and find specialized associations or partners to contact. We are not funded for that, but it is part of the function we play in this territory”summarizes Célia Holmes. After stopping by to greet the team, Fatima Belouarrak, the president of the social center, concludes: “People come because they have confidence, they feel listened to, accepted, there is no judgment. »
In the entrance, Rachida Bouhida chats with a friend. Both became volunteers here. “We come to relieve boredom, to find ourselves. We don’t have a lot of money to do activities, so here it’s really good. I didn’t know anyone when I arrived in the neighborhood in 2003. I spend more time here than at home! It’s my second home! » The participants in the Tuesday morning literacy classes arrive. Like Friday, it is full and the waiting list is growing.
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