Les Grandes Voisines has been extended through 2028!

Les Grandes Voisines: It’s official—this community initiative will continue through 2028!

Les Grandes Voisines is an open space supported by the @Salvation Army Foundation, @Le Foyer Notre-Dame des Sans-Abri, and @Plateau Urbain, where people from all walks of life come together to share a living space, work, experiment, embrace new discoveries, and have fun…

Specifically, this space provides shelter for:

• 475 people in extreme precariousness housed on-site
• More than 50 employees supported in their transition to the workforce through a textile sewing workshop, a social grocery store, a laundry facility, and cleaning and maintenance activities
• A community health center serving both residents and the general public
• About forty project leaders (artisans, associations, artists, social economy enterprises)
• The eco-friendly Hôtel Le Grand Barnum, which trains people who are far from the job market in hospitality trades
• A cultural, sports, and educational program open to everyone

Opened six years ago, the former Charial Hospital in Francheville near Lyon has become France’s largest social and community-focused third place.

🙏 Thanks to the support of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Prefecture and the Hospices Civils de Lyon, the temporary occupancy agreement has been renewed for an additional two years. 

Two more years to continue this essential work in a challenging social climate, to keep welcoming and supporting those in the most precarious situations, to make the space a shared resource for the community, and to develop cultural, festive, and educational programs.