Simon of Cyrene association will build an inclusive house for people with disabilities

On June 25, 2026, the film “The Inhabitants” was screened at the Pathé Gare du Sud cinema. The association was thus able to raise public awareness of its cause and present its shared housing project.

“The Inhabitants” is a documentary film that tells the daily life of able-bodied and disabled people living in the houses of Simon de Cyrène. We understand their journey, what drove them to move to these community places. We also discover how caregivers contribute every day to ensure that everything goes well. The film also features interviews with residents’ parents and the association’s founder, Laurent de Cherisey.

The Simon de Cyrène Association

According to the association, “every year in France, the lives of 40,000 people are turned upside down by severe disability, following a stroke, head trauma, or cerebral palsy. Then comes the risk of losing one’s job, seeing friends drift away, experiencing social exclusion and loneliness“. It is to this need for support and living together that Simon de Cyrène responds. Thus, mutual aid and friendship groups and shared housing have been created, which has helped many people enormously. Each resident has their own studio to maintain their privacy but the living room and kitchen are shared. Today there are 30 shared houses throughout France and there will be 60 within 5 years.

During an exclusive interview, Catherine Moreau, president of the La Maïoun Simon de Cyrène association in the Alpes-Maritimes, discussed the progress of the future shared house in Nice, whose construction work will begin in January for delivery scheduled for the first half of 2029.

Designed as a human alternative to traditional institutions, this project allows people with disabilities and able-bodied companions to live together on a daily basis. Within this space where everyone has their own studio while sharing common times, “it is only moments of conviviality because we are there to fight loneliness“, a unique spirit of solidarity takes hold, to the point that “a person in a house said ‘I always find a shoulder to cry on’.“

Driven by the screening of a documentary by Julien Petit that highlights this community life, the president reminds us that “the greatest challenge is to change the way people look at disability“, while forcefully reaffirming her deep conviction: “this type of housing truly makes people happy.“

A Moving Film

Beyond the presentation of the project, the film screening immerses the viewer in the heart of a profoundly moving human adventure, marked by the harsh reality of life’s accidents: strokes, tumors, and head trauma. The documentary sheds light on the daily lives of these people facing the loss of their passions or serious difficulties walking, working, and communicating.

Faced with the heartbreak of families who have sometimes been brutally told to “accept the loss” of their child, and faced with the complexity of directing them toward traditional medical facilities or nursing homes, the film highlights the immense courage and infinite patience of caregivers.

But what touches the heart is this remarkable desire to live that drives everyone to move forward at their own pace and take on new challenges. Through the example of a couple where disability fades away to make room for a deep sense of equality, where they are simply “like everyone else“, an invisible strength and mutual understanding emerge from the community.

The viewer leaves the theater marked by a resident’s poignant testimony: “if I were president, I would want a day when everyone sits in a wheelchair to understand the difficulty“, a wish that reminds us how much the founder of Simon de Cyrène can be proud of this national project he initiated.

By combining the power of cinema with the commitment of its volunteers, this Nice evening brilliantly highlighted the need to open our eyes and hearts to difference. The future Brancolar house project embodies a concrete glimmer of hope to offer a true “home without being alone” to those whose lives have been disrupted. More than just a place of residence, this initiative proves that by uniting able-bodied people and people with disabilities, we build a more humane, fairer, and decidedly happier society.