2023-09-05 06:57:09
A homeless person and social workers, in Bordeaux, August 24, 2023. CHRISTOPHE ARCHAMBAULT / AFP
Does France have a larger proportion of people who are homeless or poorly housed than other European countries, and does it stand out for the effectiveness – or ineffectiveness – of its policies? “It is difficult to compare, but the situation on these two points is rather worse than that of other countries with equivalent wealth. And France, despite promising announcements, does not devote enough resources to improving things, unlike some of its neighbors., sums up Sarah Coupechoux, head of Europe missions at the Abbé Pierre Foundation. This finding is based on the eighth report on poor housing in Europe, published Tuesday, September 5 by the French foundation and by the European Federation of National Organizations Working with the Homeless (Feantsa).
Regarding homeless people, France is, like most other European states, faced with an increase in their number. There is no sufficiently robust data after 2012 on the number of homeless people in the country, but just by adding people in emergency accommodation and those in accommodation and social reintegration centers (CHRS) , the total is 209,000 people.
France thus has the highest rate of people concerned (0.309% of the population), ahead of Germany (0.253%) and well above the average of the thirteen countries of the European Union (EU) whose statistics are sufficiently reliable (0.174%), calculated the authors of the report. “But you have to see that there are no street children in Germany, whereas there are at least 2,000 in France today”underlines the president of Feantsa, Freek Spinnewijn.
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“Resolving crises, if not solving the problem”
The observed increases are not inevitable. “Finland and Denmark have succeeded in significantly reducing the number of homeless people on their territory”recalls the report. “They pursue long-term, consensual policies, while France has made homelessness a humanitarian problem, by creating a major emergency system, undoubtedly more profitable politically since it makes it possible to resolve crises, failing which to solve the problem”analyzes Nicolas Horvat, associate researcher at Feantsa.
France has however convinced several of its neighbors to change their approach by showing, via a comparative study, that it saves money thanks to its “Un chez soi d’abord” scheme, which consists of offering ordinary housing to homeless suffering from mental disorders in great difficulty, while accompanying them.
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