By Chantal BIANCHI | Project Manager
Having a personal transportation to move has become indispensable in almost all areas of the country, but especially in rural areas. Finding a job, cure or feed oneself, accessing to public services and institutions, requires very often a vehicle. But the cost is high, it is around 3 800 euros per car, per year and represents 12% of annual household spending, and much more when the budget is reduced.
In urban areas, lack of vehicle is not always compensated by a full transportation offer. This causes isolation, among young people in particular.
In rural areas, the use of automobile is made essential by the dispersion of activity zones, of housing and by weak transportation services other than school. The distances are too large to reach health services, shops, schools and culture facilities. Public transports are inadequate, with inadequate public structures.
Situations where mobility is either impossible or difficult or prohibitively expensive in relation to the available budget, are fairly common. Or, today more than yesterday, mobility is a prerequisite for insertion, for the construction of satisfactory life trajectories and diverse social ties. Mobility is no longer just a choice, it has become a necessity. Faced with this need, many are poorly armed, or less well armed than others.
Presentation of Solidarauto garages
To help vulnerable persons to solve their mobility issues, the first fair garage (Solidarauto 49) was created in 2009 from a local initiative, supported by Secours Catholique-Caritas France. Its goal is :
- To enable the disadvantaged to have access to lower cost mobility through individual or suitable means of transport,
- To enable people in social or professional difficulties to get back to work,
- To develop, through its members, integration through economic activity.
Secours Catholique-Caritas France has supported the project and financed the startup of this association, Solidarauto 49. Another garage was created on the same principles in Grenoble in 2013, Solidarauto 38.
The activities of these insertion garages :
- Repair / maintenance of vehicles,
- Sale of used vehicles exclusively to clients in difficulty,
- Car rental : vehicles available for associations and people in need, in partnership with an insertion association.
Moreover, thanks to governement’s approval, these garages have the ability to recruit and train people in specific contracts for the repair and maintenance of vehicles, promoting their output to a permanent job.
These insertion garages are positioned on both the automotive sector and in the field of social and solidarity economy, with a discount for vulnerable persons.
In 2015, 2 700 customers were welcomed in these two insertion garages, 80% of customers in difficulty benefiting from preferential prices.
Do not hesitate to click on the following link to see how the insertion garage Solidarauto 49 works :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwHnMYpjHLM
Given the success of the 2 garages Solidarauto, various initiatives has emerged and many requests for information and support received. Creating new garages will start from local initiatives that will rely on the experience of the 2 existing garages.
So far, 23 delegations have already contacted us to get information on these insertion garages. In 2016, the Solidarauto network consisting now of three garages, supports 4 projects of insertion garage creation in France.
From the beginning of the year, Secours Catholique-Caritas France spent € 86,000 for the development of these insertion garages.
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