For several decades in Poitiers, Valoris, part of the Croix-Rouge insertion network since 2011, employs thirteen permanent staff and supports around forty employees in reintegration through reuse activities (furniture, textiles, objects). Faced with individuals facing numerous challenges, the association saw the PHC program as a suitable response.
« We sometimes welcomed individuals for whom we knew the barriers were so significant that there was little chance of success », explains Céline Besnard, director of Valoris. The PHC program, led by Valoris following a joint initiative by Convergence and the Department, helps support individuals for whom a standard insertion workshop is too demanding.
The PHC targets individuals in extreme precariousness, often homeless, disconnected from administrative procedures, and sometimes dealing with addiction or health issues. The primary goal is remobilization, with contracts starting at four hours per week, progressing over a year up to twenty hours. « These are people no one else is looking for anymore », emphasizes Céline Besnard.
Jessie Sagot, a socio-professional educator dedicated to the program since late April, spent the initial months building the program's ecosystem by collaborating with social welfare partners (SAMU social, street educators, day centers, CCAS) and usual referrers (France Travail, local missions).
The preparatory phase highlighted major administrative obstacles for these individuals: creating an email address, having a postal address, finding a social security number, obtaining elements for the Pass Inclusion. « The entire administrative part already becomes a very big hurdle », notes Jessie Sagot.
Support begins by building trust within the network of isolated individuals, through outreach workers and street educators. The educational work first addresses fundamental needs: eating, washing, accessing healthcare, finding accommodation, regaining physical security. « Work is a support. My main objective is not for the person to secure a CDDI, but for them to move towards a better quality of life », states Jessie Sagot.
Valoris chose not to create a separate workshop for PHC beneficiaries, to facilitate their inclusion. Support remains individualized, with staggered hours, and a mix of individual and collective time adapted to each person's needs. The aim is to gradually build habits compatible with professional activity, without immediate sanctions.
At the end of the PHC year, participants may join a standard insertion workshop, an employment-focused enterprise, or access more sustainable employment. Others may need to continue treatment or develop new steps before considering more sustained activity, as recovery is considered in all its dimensions.
