The homeless, vulnerable to the health crisis

Homeless people have very difficult living conditions to normal, but what about during the coronavirus epidemic where containment is instituted. The government and associations are trying to find solutions but the crisis is deep.

In the deserted French streets, following government directives to stop the coronavirus, certain people are nevertheless visible and they are trying to survive. These people are the homeless and their daily lives are even harder. To respond to the overcrowded accommodation centers, the Minister responsible for the City and Housing, Julien Denormandie, has started to requisition hotel rooms. And an envelope of 50 million euros has already been released to the ministry.
"The goal is to shelter all homeless people during this confinement period. If an homeless person is sick, again, dedicated sites to receive them"said the minister.

In a complicated context, we met Claire Duizabo, from Entourage, an association whose vocation is "to give back a network to those who no longer have a network. " The Entourage project is carried out by people who have known the street, social action experts and web professionals. The social network on mobile, the Entourage application, allows everyone to act on their own scale, in their neighborhood. On the network, residents, associations and homeless people can connect to get to know each other, exchange ideas and carry out solidarity actions together.
We also contacted Elina Dumont, former homeless person, social worker and columnist on the program, by phone. "Grandes Gueules", on RMC. Meet.

What is happening at the moment for associations and homeless people with coronavirus?

Claire Duizabo : Entourage's activities have been completely turned upside down. We have to manage the emergency, that is, take care of the homeless community that we know. We make sure they understand what's going on, many don't have access to information. Some people ask us why there is no one left in the streets and they tell us that they can no longer beg. So the association has, first, an information mission. We also receive messages from people on the network asking how they can help. Everything is saturated, I tried to call 115 (Samu social), but nothing.

Elina Dumont : It's a disaster. There are a lot of homeless people who say to me, when it comes to shelters: "This is closed, there too". Normally, they should be informed first. Some people ask me how long it will last because they don't have internet on their laptops. And I can tell you that when you are homeless, you don't say to yourself: "I'm going to buy the newspaper". We just wonder where we are going to be able to eat, wash and sleep. At one time, when I was homeless, I did not know who was the President of the Republic. Many associations have closed because they are mainly volunteers and most of them are retired, therefore people who must stay at home. Associations without volunteers, they are forced to close.

How do you continue to roam the sanitary guidelines?

Claire Duizabo : As soon as the containment was launched, we sent a large newsletter to our community. With rule number one: take no risks. When you meet a homeless person, you must not ignore him, you must inform him of the situation and respect the barrier gestures. And on our blog, blog.entourage.social, we made a toolbox with concrete advice, like: What is the right posture for talking to a homeless person and how to adopt the current health guidelines.
The tips are:
– Put yourself at the same height as the person
.
See the person.
Don't ask him for his story.
Don't make false promises.
-Garder a meter away and have no physical contact.
We also did a FAQ (fsee questions), of all the questions we have received.

Elina Dumont : I think that each marauder should remain located in his district. I find it much less dangerous. In my case, I make my certificate and I roam near my home.

How do the homeless feel and how do they feel?

Claire Duizabo : It’s a very diverse population so it can range from the marginal to the disconnected. For example, yesterday I spoke to a man who didn't even know about the virus. There are also homeless people housed in reception centers who do not know what to do. The activities are canceled. There are four of them per room, it's a little hellish. And above all, since their source of income is the Channel, they really have nothing left. Lionel, a homeless man on the network, he doesn't even have 1 euro in his pocket to do his laundry.

Elina Dumont : I know from a reliable source that homeless people have Covid-19, they were taken to the hospital. And these are people who already have pathologies from the street, so they are at risk. Even in social workers, there are sick leaves, because they themselves caught the virus. Which takes people away and makes the situation worse. There is a night stopover in the Hauts-de-France, there are 70 homeless people in the same dormitory. You see, nothing is normal. The homeless are unfortunately the last wheel of the carriage.

And for travel certificates, how do they do it?

Claire Duizabo : Generally, they don't have one. Again, this is a lack of information. I wanted to try to write certificates, but the homeless don't see the need to have them.
I also tried to explain the guidelines but they have trouble applying the rules. Lionel, for example, since he needs money, he takes the metro twice a day to see friends who are helping him out. No matter how bad it is, it does.

Elina Dumont : It is one of my ideas, I would like that the homeless can have on them a document which proves, it is horrible what I will say, who are homeless. Depending on the city, the police are more or less friendly. Homeless people, who are in Marseille, called me to tell me that it went very wrong with the police and fines were given.

For Claire Duizabo, what is important, "is to maintain the basic vital need. That is to say that the homeless are fed, housed and that they are especially informed of the situation, but it is very complicated in this We want to tell people that if they see homeless people in their shopping, well, they ask if they need help. "

Entourage advises during a meeting with a homeless person "who presents symptoms, to contact 15 (SAMU) to obtain a medical opinion, only the SAMU will be able to answer precisely these questions. In case of doubt or questions, there is a toll-free number: 0 800 130 000".

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