DIY european project : promote youth's access to housing

Anglo-French European Project to promote youth’s access to housing • From September 2013 to March 2015 •

INTRODUCTION

tween operation be lt of the co su re e th d'Aris és t (the Amiti he DIY projec and Br itain ce an Fr in rk in wo ns atio ropa) who three associ and Point Eu ce ffi O th n wi io at ns h Inform e organizatio mor, the Yout g. These thre in us on ho d er th an youth to work toge the areas of ects wanted cess ropean proj Eu of e g people’s ac nc experie rritories: youn te r ei th to mmon a problem co t housing. en nd pe to inde d entr y into to a delaye security due in h ut yo oyment, the of pl In a context to steady em ss ce ac of ung French the problem nefits (for yo working life, the lack of be y, rit cu se of housing al ci the shor tage lack of finan 25 year s) or an th pendent ss de le in access to ), people aged le op pe sh ople. r young Br iti me young pe available (fo difficult for so re mo d an re at of housing is mo rable from th ing is insepa us ho to ss ss to of acce n, and acce The question nal educatio sio es of pr the g, or iversity tion of housin access to Un sing the ques es dr ad by d. erefore, addresse employment. Th ndence is also ople’s indepe pe g un yo of question sionals and using profes aimed at ho ns tio ac nt of the DIY re e objective Through diffe sh people, th iti Br sponses d an and new re young French derstanding un w ne ndent g pe in br cess to inde project is to people’s ac g un vate yo no in of lem rtner ship is to to the prob s-border pa os cr r. is th ou of hb aim of the neig housing. The the practices m fro n tio ira insp t of by drawing ecific contex d within a sp te ua sit is t projec This European operation: co France Chaner cross-bord e Interreg IV-a mm ra og e pr pean s between th • First, in the Euro ote exchange om pr to , 9) ms which ai of Lisbon (200 nel England, r the Treaty de Un . e el iv nn the Cha as an object two sides of es tablished eration was op co er rd cross-bo sion policy. orropean cohe stère and C in itself of Eu between Fini s tie ny rima are guistic simila • Second, there phical and lin ra og ge o l, tw ra us cultu ges in the nwall: numero wns and villa to n ee tw be ed schemes stitutionalis ties, twinning er ship has in t 2008, a partn ce sin d e DIY projec an territories, mmunities. Th co o tw e th between the relations . ■ cooperation is th reinforces

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Sommaire Introduction 3 • Project and partners 4 FJT Kérélie - Les Amitiés d'Armor Le Bureau Information Jeunesse (BIJ) Point Europa

• Actions 6 Study visits Technical workshops Cross-boarder training courses

• Project steering

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• Testimonies 10 • The cross-boarder dimension

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• …And after ? 11 • The Interreg programme 12

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P ROJE C T AN D PAR TN E R S FJT Kérélie - The Amitiés d’Armor

Bureau Information Jeunesse Brest

The Foyer for Young Workers (FJT: Foyer de Jeunes Travailleurs) in Kérélie is part of the “Amitiés d’Armor” association, operating in Northern Finistère. The association intervenes in 5 areas : • the elderly, • home support, • people with disabilities, • early childhood (day nurseries), • and young people with 3 Foyers for Young Workers

The Youth Information Office (BIJ: Bureau Information Jeunesse) is a not-for-profit association, which is part of the Youth Information network composed of more than 1500 information centres.

The mission of the BIJ is to inform young people aged 16 to 35 years in all relevant areas (education, training, jobs, employment, sporting and cultural activities, housing, health, individual rights, international mobility, etc.).

The Bij has significant experience in coordinating European projects and has been involved in the Interreg programme since 2011.

The BIJ is the DIY project leader. ■

The mission of the FJT is to encourage the housing of young people aged 16 to 30 years, by providing support in various aspects of daily life: employment, training, recreation, health, access to independent housing…

The residents in the FJT are diverse: • ¼ are students, • ¼ are job seekers, • ¼ are young people in training, • ¼ are young people on the path to inclusion.

« LIt is the first time that Les Amitiés d'Armor participate to an european project. FJT Kérélie was strongly commited in this project.

The assessment is widely positive: • This project enabled to exchange ideas, projects and policies about youth housing with another european country. We face the same issues, but not always the same answers.

• The study visit reinforced the links between youth housing stakeholders in Brest, and allowed to study how to transpose cornish experience in Brest.

« The DIY project enabled a longterm cooperation with our british partners. It is an ambitious project for youth and for youth policy actors. We act concretely by proposing young people to gain technical skills and broaden out with intercultural meeting. »

BREST MÉTROPOLE ÉMETTEUR

Point Europa Point Europa is a not-for-profit organization, located in South East Cornwall at Milbrook. It is specialized in MÉTROPOLE ET VILLE ÉMETTEURS, lorsque les deux institutions parlent ensemble adult education, support and information asBREST well as activities for young people, notably through the establishment of European mobility projects, the hosting and sending of European volunteers and help finding employment or training. ■

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Te s t i m o ny Ronan Elies, directeur du FJT Kérélie

Michèle Casu, directrice du BIJ

• Last but not least, the DIY project was an opportunity for young people to travel in England, to meet young english people and host them in Brest.

• To put it in a nutshell, this project enabled Kérélie's residents to broaden out. Traveling allows to make young people's projects evolve, allows to realize that traveling is not that complicated. Europe is what you want it to be, and not only administrative regulations. »

BREST MÉTROPOLE PARTENAIRE

Associated partners throughout the project

BREST MÉTROPOLE ET VILLE PARTENAIRES

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ACT IONS Tes t imo ny of Valér ie Vincent

Study visits Two study visits took place, one in France (Brest) and the other in Cornwall (Kingsand-Truro-Bodmin).

The objective of the professionals during these visits was to observe the neighbour’s professional practices, and to question their own practices. The British "Foyers" were inspired by the first French foyers, however the contexts in the two countries are very different (funding, distribution of competences, profile of the young people accommodated). On each side of the Channel, the issue of homelessness or poor housing for young people is crucial. ■

Visit of English professionals to France

Visit of French professionals to England

A delegation of English professionals visited Brest for two days in November 2013.

Programme: visit of the Foyer for Young Workers in Kérélie, and presentation of the French concept of Foyers for Young Workers (Foyer for young workers in Kérélie and Kerdigemer), visit of the AGEHB (Association for the Coordination and Management of Employment and Housing in Brittany), and presentation of the different schemes implemented by Brest métropole océane.

Points observed by the British professionals:

• The concept of diversity, both social and intergenerational (at the Kerdigemer Foyer for example)

Interreg IV A France (Manche) - Angleterre / bleu.net

• The provision of a space (apartment) for separated families at the AGEHB. • The existence of "supported housing" in France: an intermediate stage between emergency housing and independent housing • The existence of a space dedicated to

the practice of do-it-yourself (premises of the Compagnons Bâtisseurs in Kérédern) to allow people wanting to do work on their homes to be trained and to practice different techniques.

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A delegation of French professionals visited Cornwall in April 2014, for three days.

Programme: visit of the two Foyers of the DCH group (associated partner of the project) in Bodmin and Redruth. Reception at "Cornwall County Council" and presentation of the different schemes implemented by the community.

Points observed by the French professionals:

• In England, better guidance towards exits, and a faster transition between entry into emergency housing and access to independent housing.

• The existence of a training course of about

60 hours on "skills for living" and the basic skills necessary for good tenancy of housing, validated by a certificate. This certificate facilitates access to private housing for the young people who have obtained it.

• the central role of shared accommodation

in the paths of young English people towards independent housing, encouraged by more favourable benefits for shared housing. In France, there is a real demand for shared accommodation, notably when leaving FJT.

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Hou s i n g A d v i s or for Fi n i s tère Cou n ty Cou n ci l, B MO s oci a l a cti on s i n clu s i on s er v i ce.

The study visit encouraged: • The widening and the strengthening of local partnerships, by allowing the identification and understanding of the fields of expertise and missions of the associated partners. This facilitates our current exchanges and shared work, • The adoption of the idea of the English “skills passport” action to secure young people’s residential pathways and the desire to develop a partnered action of the same type in BMO, by building on the existing schemes, • The observation, on a different scale, of the porting and implementation of social policies in another country also strengthens our professional identity and emphasizes our desire to advertise and promote the social Actions and the public services and to communicate the significance of their interventions and the interest of the cooperative dynamics. »

ACT IONS Technical workshops On each side of the Channel, a programme of technical and information workshops was established, with the goal of: • Giving young people direct access to information concerning access to housing (public and private sector, rights and duties of the tenant, moving into accommodation…)

• Helping young people to manage housing-related expenses (energy expenses, telecommunication expenses…)

• Enabling young people to acquire skills in small “do-it-yourself” work, to help them maintain the accommodation and live in good conditions.

These workshops took place in FJT Kérélie and on the premises of the Compagnons Bâtisseurs from January to July 2014, and were supervised by different partners and speakers: the ADIL, the Energence association, the Compagnons bâtisseurs, Brest métropole habitat, and the CLCV*.

The Petits Débrouillards produced videos during the workshops with the young people, available on the project web site (diy-project.eu). ■

Cross-border training courses The workshops proposed in France

The young French and British foyer residents and Point Europa members participated in a week of training in the neighbour country, also covering small “do-it-yourself” techniques. For some of them, this was their first experience abroad.

By taking part in a week-long skills acquisition course, the young French and British people acquired not only technical do-it-yourself skills and life skills. They also developed their independence, acquired linguistic, intercultural and social skills, and practised peer learning and “learning by doing”. These essential concepts of non-formal education represent learning that is valuable and applicable in many areas, and particularly in the context of training or job finding.

Thus, international mobility develops self-confidence and cultural and personal development, but can also encourage social and professional integration. The Youth Information Office and Point Europa are working in this direction by implementing various projects in which the young people are proactive, with the goal of promoting active citizenship.

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Introduction to painting Introduction to plumbing and tiling Introduction to electricity Access to BMH housing Moving into new accommodation and control of energy costs • Controlling your communication expenditure • Restoring second-hand furniture and learning to fix shelves, frames… on different surfaces • Cleaning your accommodation economically and ecologically

In England, the young people worked on: • • • •

Introduction to painting (two sessions) Introduction to electricity How to control your energy costs How to control your communication costs • Humidity and condensation: how to manage them • Gardening • Cooking with leftovers • Healthy eating on a small budget (two sessions) • How to make your own cleaning products

*Association Départementale d'Information

sur le Logement et Consommation, Logement et Cadre de Vie

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Furthermore, the main objective of the Interreg programme is to encourage, within the Channel zone, the emergence of a sense of common citizenship, of an identity unique to the area of cooperation and a sense of belonging to a cross-border zone. In our view, the intercultural encounter is the ideal breeding ground for the emergence of a European feeling, but also for other voluntary or international commitments. ■ Two web platforms were created: • a coworking website: diy-project.eu • a multimedia platform: diy.infini.fr A film was made by the young people with the support of the Petits Débrouillards in order FILM to collect their testimonies on their housing pathway.

The film is available on the multimedia platform.

P ROJE C T S TEER IN G With significant experience in the management and coordination of multinational projects, the Bij assured the mission of project coordination, with regard to the implementation of the actions, the organization of the crossborder partnership and the organization of local partnerships.

The cross-border dimension is an essential component of the project steering. Thus, the coordination of a Franco-British project involves taking into account a certain number of obstacles: different professional cultures, the time difference, and especially the language barrier. We used the Translation Service of the University to ensure the translation of the sometimes technical content, notably for

THE CROSS-BORDER DIMENSION

the study visits and the steering committees. In its role as project leader, the Bij also played the role of linguistic facilitator for the partners.

Moreover, during the implementation, other organizations were involved in the reflection on young people’s access to independent housing, notably through the establishment of four steering committees who worked via videoconferencing with our British partners.

The DIY project is cross-border, since it is implemented in the context of the European programme Interreg France-Channel-England, aimed at encouraging cooperation between the border territories of the Channel. For the initiators of the project, it involved from the outset the questioning of public policies on each side of the Channel concerning two major topics, namely European youth and their access to housing, and thus to independence. The problems common to the two territories concerned by the project (Finistère and Cornwall in England) led the actors to question the different responses of each country, in order to find, through the exchange, new concrete responses to test in each territory.

With regard to the young people, we found that despite the attraction

The associated organisations throughout the project: • In France : the City of Brest, BMO, BMH, CG29, the Compagnons Bâtisseurs • In England : DCH, Shelter, Cornwall County Council

Te s t im onie s Phil Martin, éducateur à Devon and Cornwall Housing

« For our young people, the DIY project was an excellent opportunity to meet young French people and work with them. We have all learned techniques, and the Compagnons Bâtisseurs demonstrated their capacity to train young people.

After this course in France, I decided to set up a small workshop at the Foyer in Truro, with the help of some residents. This will enable them to acquire skills and knowledge that will be useful to them when they are ready to take up their independence.

Our residents hope to be able to participate in another project of this type. »

Robyn Charlesworth

« I didn't know that you had to fill in holes, dust and sand down, before papering or repainting a wall. I didn't know either that you had to use different drills depending on the type of wall. I learned how to fix a shelf. It will be useful when I have my own apartment. »

exercised by Britain on the young French people (and vice versa) and a regular and cheap ferry link between Roscoff and Plymouth, the mobility of young people between the two countries is relatively under developed. With a common support, the do-it-yourself workshops, links were forged between the young French and British people during the crossborder training courses. These links have been sustained despite the language barrier. For these young residents who are often distanced from mobility, the meeting with their neighbours, the language stimulation and the intercultural exchange are often a trigger allowing them to re-engage in projects. The cross-border cooperation also occurs through the exchanges between the young people. ■

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AN D AF T ER…

Jack Smale :

« Being in another country allows you to gain perspective on how foyers and housing work in the United Kingdom. Being involved in the project allowed me to speak a little French. Staying at the Foyer for Young Workers in France and meeting the residents was a unique experience. »

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Through its innovative aspects, the DIY project mobilized different actors in housing and youth around their common problems, always in the light of the practices of our British neighbours. The various meetings enabled by the project promoted a better understanding between these actors, which allows us to envisage future collaborations.

Work on a second DIY project based on an expanded partnership including the Local Mission, the Finistère County Council and Devon and Cornwall Housing (DCH) is currently being studied, and will notably include new experiments inspired by the first project, as well as the continuation of exchanges between young people and professionals. ■

The Interreg programme The European cross-border cooperation programme Interreg IV A France (Channel)- England covers a vast territory stretching from Cornwall to Norfolk on the English side, and from Finistère to Pas-de-Calais on the French side.

These territories share a common maritime border: the English Channel. Therefore, the Interreg programme IV A France (Channel) - England aims to encourage amongst its members the emergence: • of an area of common citizenship, • of a shared identity for the area of cooperation, • of a sense of belonging to a cross-border area.

With a budget of 161 million Euros from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the program currently funds nearly 150 cooperation projects between France and England, which involve some 550 different organisations from both sides of the Channel.

These projects deal with a wide range of cooperation topics supported by the programme: economic development, environment, culture, tourism, social inclusion, and even maritime cooperation.

The programme is managed by the Région Haute-Normandie.

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