French company turns office into shelter for homeless man in Brittany

A Côtes-d’Armor-based company is providing shelter at night and on weekends to a homeless person thanks to an innovative partnership.

Karbon Ethic has opened its doors, providing temporary accommodation, bathroom facilities and utilities to a homeless man in his 20s for three months through Les Bureaux du Coeur, a charity that repurposes underused office and commercial spaces into temporary shelters.

“Considering our activity, helping companies lower their carbon footprint, it seemed legitimate to do our part on the issue of homelessness,” founder Régis Janvier told The Connexion. “Sharing resources is paramount and is a no-brainer for us,” he added.

It did not require a lot of investment for Mr Janvier, as Karbon Ethic already had an open-plan office, a small kitchen and showers for its employees.

The man sleeps in the workspace on a couch and can easily cook meals in the kitchen and shower.

He is not on the company premises during office hours, in line with the charity’s rules, but sees Karbon Ethic employees once a week, usually in the morning.

Les Bureaux du Coeur was the idea of Pierre-Yves Loaëc, founder of communication company Nobilito, after he kept noticing a homeless woman near the company’s building every time he left the office.

“Nobilito had a kitchen, a shower and a toilet. Very little was needed to allow that woman to regain her dignity,” he said.

He founded Les Bureaux du Coeur in 2020, emphasising the fact that office spaces were only occupied 30% of the time and could potentially help tackle homelessness, an issue affecting more than 350,000 people in France.

Homeless people, called invitees, need to be older than 18, unaccompanied, have legal residency, have no addiction issues, and be actively seeking a job.

People can stay for three to six months, with an average stay of four and a half months, according to Mr Loaëc. They are only allowed in the companies at night and on weekends.

Les Bureaux du Coeur currently houses 300 people and has helped 1,000 people so far. The association has offices in more than 40 cities, including most major French cities, as well as Barcelona, Lisbon and Brussels.