An outreach garage opens its doors in the Saint-Martin neighborhood of Perpignan

"In a difficult local context, the project leader's professional experience is an integral part of his project, and appears to me as an additional guarantee of success. "

Philippe Carrio

In Perpignan, the population of the "difficult" Saint-Martin neighborhood, lacking financial resources, change their oil themselves and dump the spent oil into the gutter, or even abandon their vehicles. To combat this practice and on the initiative of an inhabitant of the neighborhood, Hassan Ferni, the nonprofit Atelier Mécanique Solidaire is opening a garage for people on welfare. The city of Perpignan is supporting the project alongside the employment bureau, and a locale has been released to the nonprofit. People wishing to benefit from the workshop's services must join the nonprofit (about 50 members today) and should preferably live in the Saint-Martin neighborhood.

Enabling low-income earners to repair their own vehicles

This garage, like the other outreach garages in France, is a self-repair facility where owners can repair their cars at minimum cost, under the experienced eye of a shop foreman. Mechanical skills are assessed when the appointment is made. He also checks that the vehicle is insured and has passed official inspection. The nonprofit also offers basic training in automechanics and promotes environmental conservation by recovering and recycling the spent oil. Today, business has started up thanks to subsidies, but in order to grow, the nonprofit needs help from new partners like the Veolia Foundation.