Social action and integration

In turn, the City’s Centre Communal d’Action Social (CCAS) (Communal Social Action Centre) works towards the professional integration of the residents of Nantes and in particular that of the inhabitants of the priority districts and young people. Help for these people in entering or returning to work takes the form of dedicated events, the action plan for young graduates and the provision of funding under the Revenu de Solidarité Active (RSA) scheme. Recipients of RMI (a basic guaranteed income for social or professional integration) can for instance take part in ALISE workshops, which offer them manual activities for redynamisation.

More generally the focus is on reducing isolation, by supporting organisations offering social activities in the various districts which provide a way for individuals excluded from society to start getting involved with other people and take the first step towards social integration.

Having somewhere to live is the prerequisite for any process of integration or reintegration. The City works with the General Council of Loire-Atlantique to improve access to accommodation by isolated recipients of RMI, via the development of reassuring social support in the context of “interim accommodation”.

The city also helps “poor workers” via a temporary accommodation scheme deployed in 2008, and then by providing help in finding permanent accommodation. Activities towards integration via housing are also aimed at foreigners in a vulnerable position, with the creation of the establishment project by the Centre Nantais d’Hébergement des Réfugiés (CNHR) (Nantes Refugee Accommodation Centre). The main objectives are:

• the contractualisation of looking after the public;
• providing information for the people accommodated by means of a welcome booklet translated into several languages;
• the renovation of accommodation.

The City of Nantes is very involved in the area of social emergencies via the CCAS (Communal Social Action Centre). 4 forms of intervention are given priority:

• Direct intervention in welcoming and supporting people without permanent accommodation (8,088 people have been welcomed by the SAPSD
• the support service for homeless people).
• Logistical and financial support for organisational partners (premises and grants). - Involvement in adapting the local emergency scheme (with the task of providing advice and technical support).
• The management of the CHRS (Centre for Accommodation and Social Integration) Archipel (64 residents in 2008). Several flagship activities have been: a major contribution by the SAPSD to setting up the PARSA (Plan d’Accueil Renforcé des Sans Abri)
• Plan for Extra Welcome for the Homeless) and the development of the “poor workers” scheme at au Clos Toreau.

The city has also got involved in providing accommodation for homeless persons by supporting the professionalization of the Clairefontaine day centre and actively contributing to setting up the night centre (making the premises at la Madeleine available).

In Nantes, people with handicaps must also be able to take part in social and civic life. In 2008 the recognition of handicaps in the public policies of the City was extended via staff training activities, such as an awareness-raising day for staff involved in organising cultural activities in the establishments in Nantes.

In order to expand the accessibility of public areas, 25 site visits were carried out together with handicapped home owners in association with the centres of the Metropolis of Nantes. In the same way 7 meetings about major urban renovation projects enabled organisations representing people with handicaps to contribute their expertise to the project managers.

For people who are blind or visually impaired, acoustic remote control devices for traffic lights were provided to organisations on 10 December and thought was given to which places should be fitted with these as a matter of priority.

Figures on attendance:

91,000 users were received by staff of the CCAS (Communal Social Action Centre).
64 persons were looked after at the CHRS Archipel
67 persons were received at the CNHR

An integration policy which works:

7,875 households in receipt of at least one type of aid
1,564 residents of Nantes helped by the Fond de Solidarité Logement (Accommodation Support Fund)
33 people in “interim accommodation”
81.7% of the recipients of RMI in Nantes have a contract to start employment
477 different users of the Pierre Landais social restaurant received 25,404 meals
€670,000 in grants provided to social action organisations