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An Emmaus fund to house independent companions in Romania

An Emmaus fund to house independent companions in Romania

The Emmaus Satu Mare community is home to around twenty-five adults, aged between eighteen and thirty years old, living in precarious situations and often with unstable backgrounds (orphanages, squats, living on the street, etc.). Eighty per cent of them are men who no longer are entitled to childcare services and a third of them have mental health or psychological problems. The national authorities have authorised the community to house these young people between eighteen and thirty years old, but nothing more. Therefore, other solutions must be found for them to live outside of the community. However, it is practically impossible for them to obtain a bank loan to buy an apartment due to their background. 

In June 2019, instead of building a new temporary shelter, the association decided to create an individual housing access project for these young people. A fund was set up with financing from the Abbé Pierre Foundation and Emmaus Europe, topped up by many donations of items from French Emmaus groups. These funds allow them to purchase and renovate individual flats in the city. The young people therefore gain access to the property along with training in the building trade by being involved in renovating their own home. The new homeowners then repay the contribution from the Emmaus fund, based on the terms and conditions defined according to their circumstances. In the space of eighteen months, seven apartments have been purchased and renovated thanks to these funds: four young men and three young women now live in these homes. The momentum is there!