Last week, no less than 150 volunteers, elected officials, and territorial agents, divided into 25 groups, roamed the streets of Nice for this solidarity night. A citizen operation that embodies the collective commitment of the territory in favor of people in situations of extreme precariousness.
In teams of four or five people, notebook in hand, the participants traveled through different areas of the city of Nice to collect information directly on the ground. Through a questionnaire, they were able to identify situations, journeys, and especially priority needs in order to adapt emergency measures and social support.
On the ground, the agents ensure coordination. Present in every sector, they guide the teams, answer questions, and ensure the mission goes smoothly. Their role is essential to secure the action and support the volunteers who are sometimes facing, for the first time, situations of great distress.
Nathalie Jouffre: « reaching out to these people, listening and offering solutions«
Nathalie Jouffre, director of social integration and access to rights, was present throughout the evening alongside the teams, as were numerous agents from the CCAS of the city of Nice, municipal social workers, as well as several partner associations, including the Red Cross, PAJE, ADAM, and the support of the Order of Malta.
« It is an approach carried out with a lot of respect. The goal is not to coerce but to reach out to these people, to listen, and to offer solutions adapted to each situation», emphasizes Nathalie Jouffre, highlighting the importance of the human connection at the heart of this operation.
Among the volunteers, Fabienne, involved with the Red Cross, was participating in this event for the third time. « Every year, it’s an important experience, our presence is useful for better understanding the situations and directing people, we explain, we listen», she explains.
A process carried out in a spirit of kindness and empathy. Each encounter is approached with delicacy, in a logic of exchange and dialogue. Because beyond the census, the night of solidarity is above all a time of human connection and
cooperation between the territory’s actors.
The data collected allowed for the count of 202 homeless people and will enable municipal services and partner associations to enhance coordination and adjust local social policies, in alignment with the realities observed, in order to assist the most deprived.
An intense and unifying evening, illustrating the city of Nice’s ability to bring together elected officials, professionals, and citizens around a common ambition: to act concretely for greater solidarity.
