Homelessness Doesn't Equate To Inhumanity
Written by Ariana King, Culture Staff Writer
It’s a spring-like December day in Aix-en-Provence. I’m strolling down Cours Mirabeau, perusing the Christmas market. Lights sparkle all around me: from the flash of hand-crafted ornaments, to the blinking lights of the carnival rides surrounding the city center.
Yet, in the darkness, there are people lying in blankets, women holding paper cups in their hands looking down at the ground and dogs looking alert next to their sleeping owners. I walk straight past them as I do most days, but even as I stay silent—I always wonder what their story is.
No one really talks about them—les sans dominiciles fixes, the homeless—because we’re trained not to see them.
The invisibility of the homeless is a fairly universal phenomenon, yet the issue is becoming harder to ignore. This is particularly true in Paris. Homelessness increased by 21 percent from February 2018 to February 2019. The city houses approximately 3,641 homeless sleepers (The Local, 2019).
While many may be inclined to believe that this is due to personal irresponsibility, the 2008 financial crisis, increase in refugees and migrants in the city and stagnant wages have contributed to Parisien’s inability to afford housing (Havana, 2018). Even with a stable job, skyrocketing housing costs have coincided with a loss of purchasing power, making it ever more difficult to find a place to live.
The severity of the issue has reached the point where the United Nations (UN) housing expert, Lelani Farha, declared that French policies have failed the homeless in 2019 (Euronews, 2019). To justify her bold declaration, Farha called out harsh eviction policies that violate human rights, as well as the fact that most homeless people do not have access to basic emergency services (Euronews, 2019).
While all homeless people in France have a right to housing within six months, immediate needs are not often met because there is no unconditional accommodation for homeless people (Euronews, 2019). This means that homeless people often have to wait through bureaucratic processes to obtain the accommodations “fit for their needs” (Euronews, 2019).
However, this lack of efficiency concerning homelessness does not reflect French people’s views. In a 2009 survey, 75 percent of French people felt some sense of solidarity with homeless individuals and 56 percent believed they could one day be in their shoes (Havana, 2018).
Additionally, nearly two-thirds of French people think that the state is responsible for homelessness (Williamson, 2018). As Professor Julien Damon from Sciences Po explains, homelessness is a structural issue for French people (Williamson, 2018). Unlike the English—who see homelessness as a symbol of personal failure—the French recognize external factors that contribute to the inability to afford permanent housing and do not blame, nor scorn, the homeless (Williamson, 2018).
It is such solidarity that inspired several Parisiens to create short obituaries for the homeless in 2018 (Williamson, 2018). The act called attention to the de facto nature of their invisibility and reminded people that the deceased sleeping on the streets had stories and individual character. After all, homelessness does not take away humanity.
As for the continued battle against homelessness, the French state needs to address the root causes of homelessness and not solely provide housing. Since President Emmanuel Macron took office, more aid has been offered to the homeless—but only to the cream of the crop.
For instance, emergency shelters have been ordered to provide detailed information of its residents, making it easier for the police to deport homeless migrants and refugees (Williamson, 2018). There’s been a surge in new shelters, but they don’t allow couples, dogs, alcohol and, often, people with mental illnesses (Williamson, 2018).
Due to the strict qualifications for aid that still plague France’s solutions to homelessness, the most vulnerable people are not receiving the help they need. By offering aid only to the “cleanest” of the homeless, the French administration is ignoring homeless people’s humanity by not allowing them to make mistakes, or struggle with anything but homelessness to receive aid.
Thus, it’s imperative that solutions to homelessness are intersectional and address the underlying causes of the issue. Once this happens, homeless people will finally be seen as who they truly are—fellow human beings.
Sources:
Euronews. “France must do more for its homeless says UN housing expert.” Euronews. Last modified April 15, 2019.
Havana, Omar. “This is Europe: An image of homelessness in Paris.” Aljazeera. Last modified December 23, 2018.
The Local. “In numbers: How the homeless population of Paris is growing.” The Local. Last modified March 19, 2019.
Williamson, Lucy. “Homeless in Paris.” BBC News. Last modified January 26, 2018.