By Chantal Bianchi | Project manager
In rural areas, the use of the car is made essential by the scattered nature of the areas of activity, occupation and housing, and by the weakness of transport services other than school transport. Distances are too great to reach health services, shops, schools and cultural facilities. Public transport is inadequate, and public structures are unsuitable.
Situations where mobility is either impossible, difficult or excessively costly for the available budget are quite common. Yet, today more than ever, the ability to be mobile is an essential condition for integration, for building satisfying life paths and diversified social ties. Mobility is no longer just a choice, it has become a necessity. Faced with this imperative, many people are ill-equipped, or less well-equipped than others, to deal with the weight that vehicle expenses represent in the annual budget. Around 3,800 euros per car, per year, which represents 12% of annual household expenditure, and much more when the budget is small.
The aim of the project is to support people in precarious mobility situations by providing situational financial aid to cover the costs of obtaining or repairing a motor vehicle. The fact that Secours Catholique pays off these onerous costs helps to avoid the unfair choice often presented to these precarious people: the car or the end of the month. In order to prevent these precarious situations from worsening, and the loss or absence of a vehicle from leading to a deterioration in the social and professional ties of those affected, the help of Secours Catholique becomes indispensable.
Funding for the financial aid for mobility project has enabled it to be rolled out throughout France, where people in precarious mobility situations identified by Secours Catholique have benefited from social and financial support. These different levels of assistance have made it possible to adapt to the specific nature of each situation, and to provide the best possible help to the project's beneficiaries according to their level of precariousness.
Beneficiaries are selected through the prism of Secours Catholique's aid commission. The commission examines applications for financial aid submitted by volunteers from local Secours Catholique teams. It takes into account the applicant's overall situation, ensuring that the aid granted would have a significant impact on his or her situation. This commission can be organized at the level of the local team, at the level of an animation territory or at the level of the delegation. It generally meets once a week. The members of the commission, women and men from different social backgrounds, always bear in mind that behind each case there is a person in distress who, as a last resort, appeals to Secours Catholique, and they respect absolute confidentiality regarding the situations presented.
After analyzing the various situations of precarious mobility, the commission decides on the form and amount of aid granted under the Mobility Aids project. Whether it's direct assistance or a situation for which the committee calls on the “Coup de Pouce” scheme, each aid is designed to provide essential support to people in precarious mobility situations, as a last resort in the absence of other solutions.
The "Coup de pouce" scheme enables people receiving assistance from our association to present their needs to donors on the Secours Catholique website and in its editorial publications. In this way, they appeal to the fraternity of people and foundations to intervene, in a situational way, in direct financial aid that will support the precarious people carrying a message of help.
The beneficiaries are many and varied. They are mainly disadvantaged people living in rural areas, whose business and personal travel is particularly dependent on the use of a personal motor vehicle. The Mobility Aids project aims to help people who are unable to repair their vehicle or acquire a new one.
The precarious situation of the families supported often implies a strong dependence on a single vehicle per family. This vehicle is the foundation on which not only the person who owns the vehicle, but all the members of the household depend, which explains why the number of beneficiaries is greater than the number of situations in which the project's devices were used. These aids enable new journeys to be made, not only to the workplace, but also to school, the crèche or the doctor's, for example, providing vital assistance to all members of the beneficiary families.
It is also an intergenerational aid, supporting both young people who want to take their driving test but can't afford the high cost, and vehicle owners who can't afford the repairs needed to keep their car running smoothly.
In 2023, the financial aid for mobility project set up financial aid schemes in 2 850 situations in 69 Secours Catholique delegations throughout France. The average amount of aid paid was €196. The most frequent requests came from delegations in Aude-Roussillon, Cantal Puy de Dôme, Finistère, Loire Atlantique, Pays de l'Adour, Poitou and Vendée. Of these Secours Catholique cases, 31 involved the “Coup de pouce” scheme, which provided a significant allocation of resources and a radical change in the lives of beneficiaries. On average, the amount of the help granted was €2,545.
The financial assistance provided to people in precarious situations ensures that each beneficiary retains a means of transport, essential for professional and social integration. The scheme's intervention is a way of breaking people's isolation.
While the benefits are specific to each situation, they all address similar issues. In 2023, 74% of working people travelled to and from work by car, and this percentage is even higher in rural areas (up to 85% in towns with fewer than 100,000 inhabitants), making the use of a car essential for maintaining a professional activity, the first step towards overcoming precariousness and stabilizing the economic situation of Secours Catholique beneficiaries.
Testimony
Among the beneficiaries of the Financial aid for mobility program, some were in very precarious situations. This is the case of Eloïse, followed by Secours Catholique volunteers since May 2022. Since her accident in 2018, Eloise has suffered from severe leg problems that forced her to quit her job as a transport driver. To regain some mobility and be able to accompany her three children who are still in her care, Eloïse needed a car adapted to her disability. Having been refused a micro-credit by her bank, the “Coup de Pouce” scheme offered her a glimmer of hope.
Volunteers from Secours Catholique were able to guide her through the Mobility Aids project, enabling her to acquire a vehicle adapted to her disability, essential to her resumption of activities, both professional and personal. In a letter to Donors, she expresses her gratitude by illustrating the help she received from this project:
“Dear Donors,
I would like to express my deepest gratitude for your generosity and invaluable support in making possible the purchase of a vehicle adapted to my situation. Your help has had a huge impact on my life, and without this vehicle, my situation would have been a nightmare.
Because of my lower limb disability, my movements were extremely limited and my life was greatly affected. Everyday tasks, which may seem simple to many, became insurmountable obstacles for me. I often felt isolated, dependent on others for my movements and unable to live my life to the full.
Thanks to your generous donation, I was able to acquire this adapted vehicle, which literally changed my life overnight. I can't put into words how precious this new-found freedom is to me. I can now get around independently, go wherever I want and carry out the simplest tasks without having to constantly ask for help from others. Your support has opened up a multitude of possibilities for me and transformed my existence from a state of nothingness to a promising future....”
By Chantal Bianchi | Project manager
By Chantal Bianchi | project manager
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