Les Enfants du Canal

What Les Enfants du Canal does

Les Enfants du Canal is a French non-profit association (loi 1901) founded in 2015 and headquartered in Paris, dedicated to combating social exclusion among people experiencing homelessness and precarity in the Île-de-France region. The organization operates an interconnected portfolio of direct-service programs: street outreach patrols (maraudes), a mobile BusAbri facility offering phone charging and social support, long-term stabilization housing centers, a Housing First direct-access program ('De la rue au logement'), a work-integration chantier d'insertion using peer workers (travailleurs pairs) with lived experience of street life, Romcivic civic-engagement programming for Roma youth, schooling support for children from bidonvilles, and bridge-housing facilities (MESNIL) in Stains. Media-production projects — La Rue sur les Ondes (radio) and L'Abécédaire (video) — complement these services as empowerment and awareness tools. The stated beneficiary outcome is a 2017 census of 127 people identified along the 35 km Paris périphérique, with 19 active exit pathways per year and a 15-person direct housing pilot under the 2024 'Bail la rue' project.

The underlying 'technology' is operational rather than digital: physical outreach teams, mobile facilities, and conventional social-work methodologies. There is no proprietary platform, software product, or AI/ML capability. The business model is a hybrid of public funding and private donations. Revenue is sourced from government contracts and institutional partnerships — including public funding for insertion programs (chantier d'insertion), municipal contracts with Ville de Paris, regional housing authority (DRIHL) support, and RIVP housing unit allocations — alongside individual donations collected via the HelloAsso platform and membership fees. All services are provided free of charge to beneficiaries. The 'go-to-market' is community-led: direct engagement with people on the streets, in bidonvilles, and in precarious housing, with institutional partnership for housing placement. The organizational footprint remains regional (Île-de-France), with active operations in Paris, Stains, Montreuil, Nanterre, Choisy, Vitry, and Porte de la Chapelle.

Name

Les Enfants du Canal

Legal name

Association Les Enfants du Canal

Website

https://lesenfantsducanal.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Les Enfants du Canal is a French non-profit association that combats social exclusion through street outreach, mobile services, housing programs, and integration work for people experiencing homelessness and precarity in the Paris / Île-de-France region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Services / Homelessness Support

NAICS

Community Housing Services (62422), Child and Youth Services (624110), Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Affordable Housing & Community Development (Housing, Community Land Trusts) (BPAGALAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Legal Aid & Client Advocacy Services (BPAGAEAM), Newcomer & Refugee Student Support Programs (EDAJAGAH), Attendance, Engagement & Truancy Intervention Services (EDAJAIAI), Migrant & Refugee Legal Aid and Documentation Services (BPADAHAE)

Keywords

• Homeless outreach services
• Social reintegration programs
• Housing first support
• Work integration insertion
• Precarious populations aid

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Social Programs and Public Funding: Revenue derived from government contracts, public funding for social integration programs (chanti d'insertion), and institutional partnerships. The organization receives support from municipalities, state agencies, and European funding.
2. Donations and Private Contributions: Individual donations through HelloAsso platform, membership fees, and potentially corporate donations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Les Enfants du Canal is a non-profit association that provides free social support services to people experiencing homelessness and precarity in the Paris region. Its core offering combines street outreach (Maraudes, BusAbri), housing and shelter programs (stabilization centers, bridge housing, direct-access housing), work-integration initiatives (Chantier d'Insertion Travailleurs Pairs), and educational and civic-engagement projects (Scolarisation, Romcivic) for individuals and families living on the streets, in bidonvilles, or in unstable housing.

Product overview

Les Enfants du Canal is a non-profit social organization offering a portfolio of interconnected social support programs for people experiencing homelessness and precarity in the Paris region. The core offering consists of street outreach services (Maraudes, BusAbri), housing programs (Centres d'Hébergement, Logement/De la rue au logement), work integration (Chantier d'Insertion/Travailleurs Pairs), and community development projects (Romcivic, Scolarisation, MESNIL). Complementary programs include La Rue sur les Ondes (radio production) and L'Abécédaire (video production training), which use media arts as tools for empowerment and civic engagement. The organization operates primarily in Paris and the Île-de-France region.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Romcivic: Civic service project enabling young people from Roma communities to participate in volunteer work
• BusAbri
• MESNIL
• Bail la rue
• Chantier d'insertion 'Travailleurs Pairs'

Products and services

• Maraudes (Street Outreach) Street outreach patrols that meet homeless and precariously housed people, maintain social ties, and accompany them in administrative and medical procedures, targeting adults living on the streets, under bridges, and in hidden locations.
• BusAbri Mobile Service

Quantifiable outcome

• 127 people identified living on Paris périphérique
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• RIVP (Régie Immobilière de la Ville de Paris)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2024Partnership for 'Bail la rue' experimental project enabling direct housing access from street to housing for 15 persons. RIVP provides housing units while Les Enfants du Canal provides social support.
• Ville de PariscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipal partner supporting direct housing access project for people living on Paris streets.
• DRIHL (Direction Régionale et Interdépartementale de l'Hébergement et du Logement)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional housing authority providing support for housing-first programs and housing access initiatives.
• La Voix des RromscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner in Romcivic project, providing expertise on Roma community issues and radio programming support.
• Radio.GraphiecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner association hosting Romcivic radio emissions on 'Le Jour de la Sirène' program on Fréquence Paris Plurielle 106.3 FM.
• La GénéraleminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCultural venue hosting radio recording sessions and events for Romcivic project participants.
• Films de l'ArpenteurminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFilm production company partnering on 'L'Abécédaire' video project with young people from bidonvilles.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• France Terre d'Asile: French NGO specialized in asylum seekers and refugees, with shelter, legal aid, and integration programs. Comparable on serving migrant/Roma populations, housing access, and integration program design relevant to Les Enfants du Canal's bidonvilles work.
• Aurore: French non-profit association providing shelter, housing, and social integration services to homeless and excluded populations across France. Comparable on multi-program social services model with stable housing pathways and employment insertion programs.
• Romeurope: French national collective advocating for Roma rights and supporting Roma families from bidonvilles. Direct peer on the bidonvilles and Roma integration dimensions of Les Enfants du Canal's Romcivic and MESNIL programs.
• Emmaüs Solidarité: Major French NGO operating in Paris with a similar direct-service model focused on homelessness, emergency shelter, and social reintegration. Directly comparable on target population, geography, and program mix including housing access and street outreach.
• Médecins du Monde: International humanitarian organization operating in France with mobile outreach (mission France) to vulnerable populations including people in precarity and migrants. Comparable on outreach methodology, target population, and multi-stakeholder funding model.
• SAMU Social de Paris: Paris-based homelessness outreach organization running maraudes and emergency services for people on the streets. Closely comparable operating model in the same geography, with similar street-level engagement and public-funder support.

Broad incumbents

• Restos du Cœur: Large French food and homelessness support association operating food distribution, accommodation, and social reintegration programs nationwide. Comparable on serving people in precarity but at much larger scale and broader geographic footprint.
• Croix-Rouge française: Major French social services organization operating emergency shelters, food aid, and social reintegration programs nationally. Comparable on overall mission and beneficiary base, though broader and more diversified than Les Enfants du Canal's Île-de-France focus.
• Fondation Abbé Pierre: Established French foundation focused on housing access and fighting homelessness nationwide. Larger and broader in scope than Les Enfants du Canal, but comparable on direct housing access advocacy and serving the same beneficiary population.
• Secours Catholique: Large French Catholic charity tackling poverty and social exclusion with programs in housing, employment, and integration. Comparable mission and operating model but at much larger national scale.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Enfantscanal
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCOkEc-M_pDGtXFGKib-zQnQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/Les-Enfants-du-Canal-203888549661846
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/enfantscanal

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Les Enfants du Canal