“I have been given a hand, I also want to give it to others. Jean-Pierre Boudhar is not a real estate agent like the others. Although he has been working in the community for 25 years, he dedicates part of his activity to housing people in need. In Lambersart and Lomme, two towns near Lille, the 64-year-old real estate agent houses about twenty former homeless people for a symbolic rent of 82 to 92 euros per month.
This special attention to people in great uncertainty is not due to chance. Jean-Pierre Boudhar himself spent a few months without a home, as he tells in a beautiful portrait dedicated to him by the Lille edition of Media cities. In addition to providing housing to those who need it, the 60-year-old also hands out clothing and food when he can. He also sometimes organizes pots for more specific projects, such as buying a wheelchair for a local regular.
growing needs
Now at the head of three companies and 60 employees, Jean-Pierre Boudhar worked for several years with the Lille SDF collective to establish the link between him and his future tenants. Problem: The collective is now disbanding as needs in the region increase.
“The people I host usually have big problems. They have addiction problems, severe heartache, psychiatric conditions… These are people who for many are unable to work”testifies to the entrepreneur, who needs structure to support those who want to help and with that “foot in the stirrup, direction training, psychologists”.