The rehousing department

The housing department was set up in 1991 in order to increase the range of housing for the homeless people monitored by the ABEJ-Lille. It looks after people who live alone, most of them men. The department's aim is to contribute to access to housing for the homeless and to keep them in this housing.

This department attempts to work with each person to build up an appropriate plan, irrespective of his or her disability: emotional and family breakdown, low educational level, repeated failures, etc. The people referred to this department are homeless, staying in hostels or in a vulnerable housing situation, and they must be able to afford to pay rent.

Over the years, the ABEJ-Lille has built up a varied range of housing :

-  One social hostel offering 25 units of accommodation
-   a halfway house offering 25 places
-  8 "transit" units of accommodation, together with the LMH company

But not all people who are in great difficulties can be rehoused independently in this type of accommodation. So the ABEJ-Lille is thinking about new residential homes where people will be provided with long-term housing and will receive appropriate support.

The team at the ABEJ-Lille’s housing department is made up of 5 specialist key workers and a head of department financed by the Conseil Général du Nord (General Council of Northern France) as part of the FSL (Fonds de Solidarité Logement – Housing Solidarity Fund) and the RMI.