THE PROJECT
We built it with commitment and passion, now we must and we want to buy it. For more than 11 years it has been the Women’s Shelter Lucha y Siesta.
INTRODUCTION
Rome, March 8th 2008, a group of women freed and returned to the community a run-down building inhabited only by rats and pigeons, owned by the local transport company ATAC S.p.A. From that moment the building became the Women’s Shelter Lucha y Siesta, a material and symbolic place for women’s self-determination, a feminist political project, a meeting point between a shelter, a semi autonomy house and an anti-violence center.
Lucha y Siesta is now in danger. The property that we have recovered from a state of neglect, by experiencing and supporting it since eleven years, is part of the ATAC S.p.A debt restructuring plan agreement. This implies that Lucha y Siesta is among the properties put on sale to relief the company debts and make cash over the heads of women.
If Lucha y Siesta is for sale, we can buy it together.
WHAT IS LUCHA Y SIESTA
Active for over 11 years in the City of Rome, Lucha y Siesta Women's Shelter is a project aimed to take action against male violence to women and minors that provides shelter, supports the ways to get out of all forms of violence and self-determination. In these 11 years Lucha y Siesta has welcomed 142 women with 62 minors and supported 1200 of them. Although not all services can be converted in economic goods, the value produced in these years with the voluntary and militant work of the women of Lucha y Siesta is quantifiable thus allowing the Administration of Rome to save up to 6,776,586.00 euro.
Located in the Tuscolano district, which has the highest population density in the capital City of Rome, Lucha y Siesta represents a model of active citizenship, an example of social solidarity and a civil and cultural proposal that goes far beyond the only anti-violence mission.
The Citizens Committee “Lucha alla Città" is born on September 7th 2019 as a response to the risk of closure of the Women’s Shelter Lucha y Siesta.
In few days a lot of people and associations have joined us: in just one week after the presentation day they are already thousands. The president and honorary president are the philosopher Federica Giardini and Lea Melandri, respectively. Several artists, including Lorenzo Ceccotti, Frad, Hogre, Maicol&Mirco, Leo Ortolani, Rita Petruccioli, Sio, Zerocalcare, Silvia Ziche, and many others, have joined us and are supporting our project.
More than 50 organizations have joined us, including: Action Aid, Arci Roma, Armillaria Edizioni, Arf Festival del fumetto, Associazione Culturale Eduraduno, Associazione Famiglie Arcobaleno, BeFree Cooperativa, Casa Internazionale delle Donne, CHAYN Italia, Cinecittà Bene Comune, Circolo di cultura Omosessuale Mario Mieli, D.i.Re. (Donne in rete contro la violenza), DWF, Edizioni Tlon, Fondazione Finanziaria Banca Etica, Fondazione PANGEA onlus, LIBERA, Medecins du Monde, UDI (Unione Donne Italia), S.C.O.S.S.E.
WHAT WE ARE GONNA DO WITH “Lucha alla città”
Creating the Foundation that will allow the construction of a popular shareholding to compete during the public auction in order to collectively buy the building, whose starting price is the 10% of its estimated value (2.6 million euro).
In this way, we can give all together the continuity to the ten-year long experience of the Women’s Shelter Lucha y Siesta which currently provides:
- Reception Center with 14 rooms, in addition to the only 25 single-beds room that the Municipality of Rome offers to women and minors who have chosen to escape from all forms of violence. According to the Istanbul Convention, Rome should have at least 300 rooms.
- Support Services to all women who need to get out of all forms of violence. Through free psychological and legal counselling services the women begin a personalized path designed for each of them.
- Cultural and Social Activities . They include book presentations, thematic reviews, theater and art performances, playroom for kids, summer film festival, workshops and courses, a library with hundreds of books and a tailor's workshop open to all citizens. All the activities are carried on with the perspective of an ongoing training against gender violence and for a culture of respect for all kind of differences.
MUCH MORE THAN A DEFENSIVE ACTION: LET'S RAISE UP LUCHA Y SIESTA
What if we do not reach our economic goal? We will come back stronger: in any case, the amount of money earned will be used to start a participatory planning to re-imagine Lucha y Siesta even we will be forced to find home elsewhere. Our goal is to redefine it and strengthen it, making it more and more autonomous, resourceful and open to the community. Lucha 2.0 project will benefit from high experienced professionals in order to imagine together a new potential space redesigned in an eco-sustainable way as the result of a long-term study and experimentation.
Lucha y Siesta will not close, let’s buy it!
