Abbé Pierre Foundation

Abbé Pierre Foundation

In 2014, All Saints gave a donation of 500 euros to the Abbé Pierre Foundation this year. 

Abbé Pierre was a French Catholic priest, a member of the Resistance during World War 11 and a deputy of the Popular Republican Movement (MRP).

In 1949 he founded the Emmaus movement with the goal of helping poor and homeless people and refugees and later started the Abbé Pierre foundation.  The Abbé Pierre foundation provides support for some of the most vulnerable in our society.  It estimates that the housing crisis in France affects over 10 million people and there is everywhere a lack of social housing as well as more and more people out of work.

Since 2005 the foundation had built more than 9000 houses for poor and vulnerable people as well as renovating existing housing such as providing insulation, and accessibility for the disabled.  It runs national campaigns every year across France to raise public awareness and puts pressure on public authorities to improve housing conditions. Its campaigns “Roofs First” and “2000 Roofs for 2000 families” were both a great success.

It gives advice to tenants and fights against unfair and unjust evictions with a “hotline” and offices throughout France where tenants can get advice. So far over 6,500 households have been helped in this way.

Recently in Castelnaudary, it contributed to the building of a “family hotel” with 9 studio flats and 4 one bedroom apartments where people with difficulties can be housed. In Metz in the north of France it has opened the most recent of its “social restaurants” where poor people can get a hot meal at a very low price.

But the Foundation does not just help in France. Last year it worked in more than 20 countries in the Third World supporting programmes of house building and disaster relief.

There is so much more information at www.foundation-abbe-pierre.fr/en and it is in English!!

So next time you go to Emmaus, (and there is one on the road between Béziers and Pézenas) either to buy or to take something to sell, remember your support is so important. If you want to know the times when Emmaus is open look on the website www.emmausbeziers.fr/Servian/