User:Erin Mei/Les Petits Riens (organisation)

Les Petits Riens (organization)

The organization Les Petits Riens is a Belgian nonprofit organization founded in 1937. Its purpose is to fight against poverty and social exclusion. Les Petis Riens has organized, in Belgium, fund-raising and sorting activities and the selling of second-hand stuff. On one hand, those activities give a job to those who are unemployed and on the other hand, they contribute to finance social actions that fight against poverty and social exclusion.

History Les Petits Riens was created by Édouard Froidure (1899-1971), an active catholic priest who was helping the underprivileged youth. Since then, the association’s goal has been to offer material and social assistance to homeless or excluded people and helped them during their rehabilitation.

The social actions Socio-professional rehabilitation Les Petits Riens works with different public authorities in order to hire and train unemployed people. There are different types of contracts: Article 60, ACS, contract Phare… Many volunteers and host-home residents are also active within the organization. People who have to perform community service also work in the different services of Les Petits Riens. The organization has set up these following services:

•	Training work group by working Horizon: this work group allows the trainees to follow a one-year practical and theoretical training in electromechanics. This year ends with an internship in a company. •	Training employment area: the recipients of different organization services are assisted during their research for job (CV, Internet access, training for interviews).

Housing support Les Petits Riens accommodates homeless people in Brussels. Two houses host those people: •	The Les Petits Riens’s shelter home, located in the Provot Street, in Ixelles. It only welcomes adult men. In 2015 and 2016, some work had been carried out to turn every room into single-room. Now, 85 people can stay there. The average stay in this home is 7 months. •	The 18-24’s shelter home, located in the avenue du roi, in Saint-Gilles. It is a house reserved for young adults from 18 to 24.

Except these two shelter houses, the organization offers a home guidance service (“A home for yourself”), for those who want to be guided within their private accommodation.