The Homeless in France

200 000 homeless people

Officials in France believe that there are more than 200 000 homeless people in their territory. This statistic is quite striking and it shows how little has been done to help the homeless those past decades. Indeed, one of France’s closest neighbor, England, only counts 35 000 people living on the streets. And, unlike France, a lot has been done there those past decades.

Helping the homeless is very difficult. Let’s look through it that way: 80% of the help must come from the Government and 20% must come from charities. Unfortunately, in France, a rich and wealthy nation, most of the help seems to come from charities. The President, Nicolas Sarkozy, did not draw much attention to homeless people during his presidential campaign. Rumors say that upcoming reforms will focus instead on standards of living and economic wealth.

Nationally, the population is currently hearing striking news about the homeless. Winter has arrived. And those who do not have a roof are freezing to death. Associations and charities seem very unsatisfied with the current situation; social services cannot welcome 200 000 homeless people and it is driving them crazy. They believe the homeless’s lives are at stake.

Both charities and government on the job

What have charities done so far to help the homeless? It is important to say that charities have done most of the job to help those living on the streets. Indeed, because of winter, many charities - such as the Red Cross - have been touring the big cities to offer coffee and bread to the homeless. They also take advantage of this opportunity to offer them a ride to the nearest public dorms. Most of the homeless accept this invitation but some believe it is unnecessary to make the move - knowing that the waiting time to get a bed for the night is long.

What has the Government done? The winter is a crucial moment for the homeless and it is the perfect time for Nicolas Sarkozy to help them out. So far, the Government does not have clear solutions. Again, pulling out the homeless from misery is such a tough job that it takes a lot of guts and courage to do so. Yet, this barrier should not be an obstacle for the President of France. Indeed, during the Presidential Campaign, Nicolas Sarkozy presented himself as a brave and talented man capable of getting France out of its financial blunder. Therefore, he should be able to find solutions to help the homeless.

The current situation is catastrophic. Associations have recently been protesting. For example, they have recently settled tents Rue de la Banque, in Paris. Those tents are mainly occupied by volunteers from the “Enfants de Don Quichotte” association. And police forces are having a hard time “kicking them out” of those tents. But anger is rising and nothing seems to be done.

Solutions, ideas...

What are the solutions to this issue? Obviously, the priority is to give France’s social services a sufficient budget to welcome those 200 000 homeless people. The question is: does the Government have enough money - with that growing national debt - to provide a satisfying budget to social services? It seems that France’s financial situation is at stake and that priorities are definitely not social services matters.

But then what? Imagine if social services could welcome them all, the homeless would need to build a new life because staying in dorms an entire life is a permanent waste. The Government would need to lavish considerable amounts of money in rehabilitation programs that would help the homeless find a job and maybe even a home. Let’s face it: 200 000 people without a roof is significant and shocking. They all need to find their way out but only the Government can help them out by investing in different programs and bringing them moral support.

As the homeless in France are having a tough time, as their lives are at stake, and as they are poorly helped by social services, only the Government can pull them out of their mediocre lives. Charities have done their job, it is now time for Politicians to react.