Compagnons Bâtisseurs Occitanie

Founded in 1998 in Montpellier, the Compagnons Bâtisseurs Occitanie support people in difficulty in improving their homes. For more than 20 years, the Occitanie association has grown and activities have developed in Herault and neighbouring departments. The Compagnons Bâtisseurs defend housing rights for everybody, the importance to participate in his own housing project, the development of experiences grounds, solidarity and non-formal education. Their ambition is to act on solidarity and environment practices. 1. Accompanied self-renovation Actions (ASRA) and housing improvement collective actions : Through the technical and educational skills of their technical leaders, Compagnons Bâtisseurs support families or isolated persons for housing environment improvement. Consequently, the renovation projects mobilize the participation of the inhabitants who are not able to face the financial pressure of their housing rehabilitation by the private sector companies or usual rehabilitation support facilities. The institutional and territorial partnership, set up with the social and technical services, allows the organisation to identify exactly the needs of the beneficiary population. This action promotes housing and environment living improvement and also prevents from exclusion: these projects goals are both technical and social. Resident’s involvement encourages empowerment and proactivity as well as helping each other and local solidarities. This concrete action on the structure should enable vulnerable people to appropriate housing and restore social relationships. 2. Non formal education, and volunteering: In such a crisis context causing so many difficulties to young people (housing and working access), volunteering is one strong part of our project. It takes place in a long experience within our network which hosts volunteers (from 18-30 years old, living in France or abroad) motivated to involve themselves during 6 to 12 months in our organization. These volunteers have different backgrounds, graduated or not. They are hosted on different type of status: Civic Service or European Volunteer Service. - Supporting volunteer’s initiatives and collective projects in order to foster empowerment, sense of responsibility, and learning process of how to live together and support residents to building techniques and to participate in the quality of life.