- The two-month extension of the winter break is part of the measures announced Thursday evening by the President of the Republic to fight against the spread of the coronavirus.
- This measure had been requested Monday by associations, including the Federation of Solidarity Actors.
- Florent Guéguen, its director, returns to this announcement for 20 Minutes .
A respite for people on the street and those threatened with eviction. Emmanuel Macron announced Thursday evening the two-month extension of the winter break in order to fight the coronavirus pandemic. This was to stop on March 31.
This extension had been requested at the beginning of the week by several associations acting in favor of housing. Among the signatories of this text addressed to Julien Denormandie, Minister of Housing, the Federation of Solidarity Actors, which brings together around 800 associations. 20 Minutes interviewed its director, Florent Guéguen.
What is the Federation's reaction to this extension?
It is a satisfaction, because we launched the alert on Monday to remind the social and health consequences of the end of accommodation places. These consequences are the homelessness of thousands of people. Our call was heard by the President of the Republic, it is a huge relief for the households concerned, because there is anxiety when the date of March 31 approaches.
However, this postponement does not solve the basic problem; the priority is measures to access care for homeless people, whether outside or housed. Shelters do not have access to masks. The homeless are among the most vulnerable, they must be among the most protected people.
This extension decision mirrors the dysfunction of the accommodation policy: we are still in a thermometer-based accommodation management system. This decision only delays the deadline. We ask the perpetuation throughout the year of places open in winter.
How many people are affected by this extension?
It's very difficult to say! The government has announced that it has opened 14,000 winter accommodation spaces. We can consider that the extension will concern these 14,000 places. This measure also means postponing rental evictions by two months. In 2018, 16,000 households, equivalent to 36,000 people, were evicted with the help of the police for unpaid rent.
Are you aware of cases of homeless people infected with coronavirus?
For the moment, there are no massive contamination movements in the accommodation centers, but this can change. Some structures have brought us up to date. A center managed by the Samu social de Paris has 14 cases. They are elderly people, whose health is already fragile.
Have the associations made it known that it is difficult to keep open branches welcoming vulnerable people?
Day care and marauders are rather concerned. These are teams that see a lot of people, people who are not hosted and who come to request service during the day and for whom there are risks. There is concern about the ability of associations to be able to maintain these activities over time. They have hydroalcoholic gel, but no masks. When they are in contact with a person who presents symptoms, they do not always know what to do: access to 115 [emergency reception number] is very difficult, these structures do not have access to tests. We ask for privileged access to 15 [Samu].
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- Coronavirus
- Society
- Housing
- Interview
- Homeless
- Solidarity