Since 1999, the Ordre de Malte, alongside the Fondation 30 millions d'amis, has been running a barge, the Fleuron, moored in the 15th district of Paris. This first host facility is open to men alone or accompanied by their dogs: for four weeks, they receive comfort, help and some of them begin their social and professional reintegration. Yet, even the most dynamic guests of the Fleuron struggle to arrange their return to working life in such a short space of time. The "springboard ship" which the Ordre plans to launch within a few months is designed to handle this task.
A "springboard ship" on the Seine
The Ordre de Malte, which already initiated a barge for vagrants, is committed to a complementary project: a "springboard" ship to help persons to return to the working world.
The "springboad" ship.
Taking the time to build a durable professional integration
This engine-less 55 meter long ship will be moored at Asnières in the Hauts-de-Seine district. Its thirty cabins will accommodate thirty men between 18 and 50 years of age, staffed by a crew of nine persons assisted in the evening by volunteers. Its aim is to enable the youths who receive training in courses to avoid returning to the sidelines.
Besides, this ship will also be open to those who, already having acquired professional experience, need to recover their self-confidence and clear up their situations sufficiently to consider returning to work unaided. Welfare recipients receiving prequalifying training will also be welcomed and accompanied, as well as security employees with their dogs, who, due to their isolation and their night work, often experience serious social problems.
This project of a shared living space, moored on the Seine, is the natural extension of the projects already conducted by Ordre de Malte for the most disadvantaged. In this connection, the association has received backing from the Regional Council of Ile-de-France, the territorial authorities of the Hauts-de-Seine and the French Senate.
