Budget 2025: associations at risk

“People are waiting for us to make them their toilet or their meals, so we are fighting to continue. The times are hard, but Benoît Colin, director ofAt home 45an association of home services located in Orléans (Loiret), keeps its calm: “I am lucky to know why I come to work every day. After the decreases of grants announced this year by local communities; The vote of the 2025 budget of the State, strongly reducing the public resources allocated to associations, added to the slump.

On May 28, 2024, the Economic, Social and Environmental Council (EESC) launched an alert cry, evoking a “democratic emergency”, with regard to the role played by the 1.8 million employees and 12.5 million volunteers involved.

Increase in logistics and salary costs

The eye on his computer, Benoît Colin immediately recognizes it: he and his team of 138 people depend on the funds of the Loiret department and the Family Allowance Fund (CAF). On the budget side, “it just holds, but it holds”, despite the increase in logistics and salary costs. But demand increases and he would like to be able to attract more employees.

Anger points to this endeavor fifty-year-old, engaged for twenty-five years in his association. “If the public authorities continue on this momentum, it will not be necessary to complain about the degradation of the service. “Daniel Goldberg, president of Uniopss*, which brings together associative establishments in the social sector, adds:” Without associations, there would be no public disability, great age, family assistance or child protection. It is difficult, for a associative manager, to be forced to refuse his help when the means no longer follow. »»

Weigh on each expense

Determined, Benoît Colin does everything possible so that his collaborators can still devote the time necessary for the dressing of an old lady or to the care of a disabled person. What could be more rewarding than this woman’s message thanking her team for having her mother so well accompanied during the last years of her life?

He welcomes himself to “do miracles” with little, by “scratching” on the remaining expenses – “but after a while, you have to pay electricity well” – by not replacing an employee who goes back to retirement … He would like to have more time to win donations and patronage, but difficult to stand out in front of large associations. He also thinks of united funding.

Saturday, the director ofAt home 45 Spend several hours in the basketball club which he also provides the presidency. The sports and cultural sectors are also affected by this resource crisis. With the 2025 finance law, it is the line of learning aid, which allowed him to hire a young employee at a lower cost, who will lose 1,000 euros. “It is a lot on a budget of 15,000 euros already in deficit. Again, Benoît Colin refuses fatalism. This environment where he can bring a little well-being to those who need it, he would leave him for nothing in the world.

* National Interfederal Union of works and private non -lucrative health and social organizations.