Nadège risks ending up on the street with her two children, aged 2 and 9, at the end of the winter break. Alone, she struggles to obtain housing and live with dignity.
An endless abyss. Four years ago, Nadège separated from her ex-husband and took care of her daughter in joint custody. A few months later, she becomes pregnant with a baby boy with her new partner, who eventually abandons him.
She then finds herself alone to raise her two children. Despite everything, she holds up and continues her work in the administration. At the same time, she applies for social housing. In the meantime, she is forced to live in the matrimonial home where the rent is far too high compared to her salary. This is when a long descent into hell begins.
Over time, the situation deteriorates sharply. Money problems pile up, and the long-awaited social housing never arrives. The debts are climbing, Nadège is forced to have a second job in events, so she works night and day, even on weekends. "I was working to the detriment of time spent with my children, telling myself that I was doing this for them and that we were going to be okay eventually", she confides.
As of July 2019, she can no longer pay her rent in full.
Alone against the world
Unfortunately, due to the various social movements, it will have fewer and fewer benefits. Because of the covid-19 crisis the following year, she will have no benefits at all. She then decides to sell jewelry or to walk the neighbor's dog, in order to make ends meet.
In March 2020, Nadège learned that she and her children had Covid-19. Her son is hospitalized for severe inflammation probably linked to his contamination by covid-19. “We were very isolated, it was the most complete descent into hell. I was on sick leave for 4 months. I lost my salary, sometimes I only got 800 euros. In addition, my son was hospitalized, it was very complicated ”, she remembers with great emotion.
Alone, she finds herself in great difficulty, with no way of looking after her children, even for shopping. “I was turned away from some stores because I couldn't have them guarded since we were contaminated. At times, it was impossible to shop even online on the internet. I had to move around myself, taking the risk of infecting others so that I could buy something to eat. "
After these 4 months of hardship in June 2020, she had not paid her rent for 4 months.
A bottle in the sea
To get out of this, Nadège absolutely has to find an apartment and move out of the one she is currently in. But despite all the steps taken, it will encounter many obstacles. "I would like to point out that all the possible steps, asks HML, 1% employer, Dalo, collective agreement, social worker, lawyer, exchange request, CAF … everything has already been done", she wrote in a Facebook post.
Each time, she is told that she is not a priority because she is an employee. "I was not a priority on the request for housing and I was told that there were more critical situations and that to become really a priority I had to be in a situation of eviction."
She also turns to a social worker, who confirms the need for an eviction notice in order to set up a DALO file or a departmental collective agreement. She then decides to throw a bottle into the sea through social networks. “To challenge the town hall, I shared my situation on social networks, specifying my research, because I cannot move away from my workplace and from the home of my ex-husband who has joint custody. Besides, I don't have a license ", she confides.
She ideally wishes to stay in the 13th arrondissement of Paris, where she has worked and lived for more than twenty years. “I have had constant help from the neighborhood, from parents' associations because I have lived here for almost 20 years. My pharmacist even gave me a box of milk for my son at the end of the month when I ran out of money. I have benefited from a lot of solidarity ". But she is ready to expand her search because the priority for her is to find housing with her children.
An expulsion after the winter break
In July 2020, she was in debt of several thousand euros, so she returned to work full time. On September 10, she was summoned to court for deportation. She received the eviction notice on November 3, she had to leave her apartment after the winter break.
Beam of hope, she managed to visit three apartments, but each time the accommodation was already allocated. At the foot of the wall, she files an over-indebtedness file at the Bank of France. On Christmas Eve, she learns that these old debts will be completely erased.
“They are going to kick me out with my children”
Now the countdown is on, she has until April 1 to leave her home. "The longer it takes to relocate me, the more new debts will accumulate", she confides. "They're going to kick me out with my kids, I'm totally stressed out, I don't sleep at night."
More than anything, she hopes that town halls and social accommodation structures can find a solution for her, this is the only way out for her. “There is a problem with the distribution of housing, the town halls have to do something so that there is no one left in my situation. I find it good that those who receive aid have priority, but we are also in need ".
She is also worried about receiving so many testimonies from single women like herself who are calling for help. “It is mainly women who find themselves in my situation, they are often in charge of everything, things have to change for good”, she concludes.
To help her, do not hesitate to contact her on her Facebook page.