A job seeker tries to start his own business to find work. He goes to his banker and asks for a loan. Since the client depends on social welfare, his credit is denied. The Créabus project is here to address this kind of situation.” This is how Christian Estrosi presented the new initiative invented by the General Council of Alpes-Maritimes. To achieve this result, several economic stakeholders from the department had to be brought together. First, the ACEC to support business creation. Then, the ADIE (Association for the Right to Economic Initiative) for solidarity credit, or microcredit – from 500 to 10,000 euros. The Caisse d’Epargne provides the necessary funds. Just like the General Council, which also oversees the whole.
At the ACEC, it’s long been known that people in precarious situations have ideas to exploit in the economic field. “80 to 90% of the business financing we support are created by RMI recipients,” says Joël Fayet, a representative from the management office. He sees the Créabus as a means to achieve a “greater responsiveness for business creation.” This minivan, which will travel through political districts and then the hinterland of Nice, will allow ACEC advisors to meet budding entrepreneurs.
Fighting exclusion through economic integration
Over recent decades, gaps have gradually widened between different neighborhoods in Nice. Today, it’s necessary to fight exclusion through social missions. To achieve this, microcredit provides a valuable aid. “This form of credit helps people excluded from the banking system,” assures Stéphane Antaramian, regional director of ADIE. In ten years of existence, we have helped a thousand people. And in 2007, approximately 150. Unfortunately, microcredit is still little known to the general public. This changed with the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Muhammad Yunus in 2006.” This Pakistani is regarded as the father of microcredit. In his country, he created a bank and helped thousands escape poverty.
In the Alpes-Maritimes, the definition of poverty is not the same, but the situation remains worrying. Therefore, the General Council of Alpes-Maritimes has implemented a plan with ten key measures for the neighborhoods. In addition to creating very small enterprises, it notably includes supporting young people in difficulty. Other projects will be launched during the year 2008. At the same time, the General Council’s aid to the Montjoye association is expected to reach 10.5 million euros per year. Christian Estrosi does not hide that the ultimate goal is to lift the neighborhoods of Nice out of the ZEP status. However, association members believe more in the abolition of school zoning to achieve this goal.
