Indietro La T’RÊVE, an intercultural place of respite, welcome and resources.

Purpose: The T’Rêve is an intercultural resource centre for migrants. It is also a place of unconditional welcome and designed to offer those using it respite, open during the day to anyone in a vulnerable situation, including citizens and those working in associations/NGOs and civil society.

This experimental third space is located in an 800m2 building owned by the City of Strasbourg, in the Koenigshoffen district. It can accommodate up to 169 people and is fully accessible to people with reduced mobility.

The T’Rêve acts as a hub for exchanges and cooperation with civil society in response to the current humanitarian and social emergency affecting part of the population. This initiative is particularly important in Strasbourg, where a quarter of the population lives below the poverty line. The name “T’Rêve” symbolises tranquillity and hope.

Conceived and supervised by the “Hospitable City” Mission of the Strasbourg Department of Solidarity, Health and Youth, the structure is legally attached to the Local Social Action Centre (Centre Communal d’Action Sociale). Four dedicated staff members manage the scheme, supported by a joint monitoring committee made up of city officials and representatives of local associations.

Stimulus/Rationale: The T’Rêve is the result of a collaborative initiative with the network of solidarity actors in Strasbourg. Conceived of in 2019, with the creation of the “Hospitable City” Mission and the implementation of the manifesto for a dignified reception of vulnerable migrants.[1]

Following the Solidarity Night (Nuit de la solidarité) organised in 2020, a number of local actors and authorities confirmed that Strasbourg lacked a resource centre for people in migrant situations. This observation resonated with the Intercultural and Citizenship Council (Conseil de la vie interculturelle et citoyenne), which had previously called for an intercultural space to be created in 2019 to centralise essential information for newcomers to Strasbourg.

In 2021, a comprehensive study carried out by “Parole sans Frontières” underlined the importance of initial reception in all its facets. This study provided the basis for a vision of a future centre that would encompass several areas of activity.  The creation of a reception centre for displaced persons from Ukraine in 2022 provided an opportunity to test an initial model, with the intention of expanding its scope.

Activities:

  • Welcome and rest: the T’Rêve provides an open, inclusive space for anyone in a vulnerable situation. It serves as a place of refuge where people can be welcomed, listened to, given information and helped to find their way according to their needs. It is a place of rest and tranquillity where basic needs can be met (showers, luggage storage, rest area, laundry, access to computers, gym, shared kitchen).
  • Activities: spaces are made available for meetings and activities with the public, run by professionals, associations or local residents (French classes, administrative assistance, digital facilitation, well-being activities, cooking classes, shows, etc.).
  • A place to meet and develop solidarity: a place for citizens to come together, to mobilise around issues of mutual assistance and solidarity, and to facilitate exchanges between associations and residents (coffee debates, awareness-raising and information workshops on civil participation, etc.).

Process: The T’Rêve is based on a mixed governance structure, bringing together social welfare stakeholders and the City of Strasbourg, and relies on an ongoing consultation process throughout the experiment. To this end, a project monitoring committee has been set up, with members from the Intercultural and Citizenship Council, city services and associations, with the aim of continuously enriching the project. Thematic workshops (reception, rest, civic participation, debates and meetings) have also been organised. There is a space for coordination between the city and the actors involved in this third centre, as well as time for discussions with the residents and those being cared for.

Impact: The centre recorded around 10 000 visits in one year. 87% of the people who use the centre are single men, most of them waiting for their right to stay to be settled or in a precarious housing situation. As a reminder, more than 5 000 people apply for asylum in the Bas-Rhin department, with an acceptance rate of between 50% and 60% after long waiting periods.

After a year of experimentation, the space has secured permanent status. In June 2024, the centre relocated to Strasbourg’s Coop district. The site was added to the city’s 26-day centres.

Key reference documents:

From 8 December 2022
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