Hospitality, a Private Matter?
The Role of Citizen Hosting in Migrant Reception

Since 2015, new forms of citizen engagement have emerged. These initiatives, mostly local, aim to address two key challenges: providing concrete and immediate solutions to humanitarian issues faced by migrants arriving in France and contributing to the construction of a welcoming society. Among these new types of engagement, numerous collectives and NGOs have developed to offer citizen-led housing to migrants.
While this form of hospitality requires a strong personal commitment, it is built on collective efforts that, over the years, have expanded, diversified, and become more structured. In 2022, citizen hosting grew significantly, becoming one of the main solutions for housing displaced people from Ukraine.

What is the current role of citizen hosting for migrants in the Lyon Metropolis and the Rhône district? What forms does it take? To what extent does this hospitality remain in the private sphere? How does it interact—or not—with public policies on migrant reception in France and other European countries?

On the occasion of the 2023 Hospitality Biennale, organized by the Lyon Metropolis and the cities of Lyon and Villeurbanne, Synergies migrations in partnership with the Public Factory of Sciences Po Lyon, invites reflection on these questions through a roundtable discussion on citizen hosting for migrants and the challenges it raises.

This event is part of the work of the Observatory on Citizen Hosting in the Rhône, initiated by Synergies Migrations in early 2023, with the participation of organisations such as Aclaam, Forum Réfugiés, J’accueille, JRS Welcome Lyon, L’ouvre Porte, and Terre d’Ancrages.

The discussion will be followed by a convivial gathering and a Syrian music concert organized by J’accueille.

PROGRAM

6:00 – 6:15 pm: Welcome and Introduction

• Martine Huyon, Head of Public Factory, Sciences Po Lyon
• Renaud Payre, Vice-President of the Lyon Metropolis for Housing, Social Housing, and Urban Policy
• Sylvie Tomic, Deputy Mayor of Lyon for Reception, Hospitality, and Responsible Tourism

6:15 – 8:00 pm: Roundtable – Hospitality, a Private Matter? The Role of Citizen Hosting in the Reception of Migrants

• Étienne Béchaux, Treasurer, Aclaam
• Nadine Camp, Co-Director, Synergies Migrations
• Isabelle Dufour, Head of JRS Lyon
• Clément Luccioni, PhD Researcher at Lab’urba – Université Paris-Est, Fellow at the Institut Convergences Migrations
• Élise Bédier, Project Manager – “Housing” Mission, DIHAL

8:00 – 9:00 pm: Informal Exchange with Citizen Hosting Organizations and Concert


Concert by Bayat, a traditional Syrian music group, organized by J’accueille.