Espace Solidaire Pâquis opens its church to those looking for a place where they will always be welcome, will be heard, and will find someone to accompany them (in the sense of walking along with them) when they are in need. They are mainly transient people, migrants, the homeless, people who find themselves temporarily without resources or without a roof over their heads. We welcome them all, no questions asked. Our door is always open and all our services (food, drink, classes, help with letter writing, etc.) are free.
Our association is also committed to standing with transients and migrants to defend their rights. We run on the generous fuel of our highly committed volunteers, who have a range of skills and come from a variety of backgrounds. Our mission is based on several approaches. The first is modeled on the social services intermediary, Relais Citoyen. People come to us for specific reasons, for example, to create a CV, find housing, reply to a job offer, etc.
Workshops offering French language courses for beginners are part of our activities for helping transient people integrate life in the city. The classes are designed to introduce fundamental notions of the language and are a way of anchoring the population in their new landscape. All of the other activities we offer (artistic, cultural, etc.) contribute to this dynamic.
