The new president of Secours Catholique, Véronique Devise, guest of Europe 1, spoke on Thursday of the impact of the health crisis on the most disadvantaged.

While the Covid-19 has contributed to a "hardening of poverty", it hopes to continue to fight against exclusion and to see the subject more discussed in political debates.

INTERVIEW

"What we are seeing is a hardening of poverty."

New president of Secours Catholique, Véronique Devise was the guest of Europe 1 on Thursday to discuss her assumption of office in the context of the health crisis.

A crisis whose impact she measures on the most vulnerable, including young people under 25, who do not receive the RSA, and families with dependent children, "who had to pay two meals a day".

On the eve of a new presidential campaign, she hopes that the candidates will tackle the subject of poverty and solidarity.

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"We tried to be present with the most vulnerable"

"We saw new people coming in," she says. "People on precarious contracts, with staggered working hours, and people who were on a temporary basis and found themselves without work". People for whom this period was excessively difficult, continues Véronique Devise, evoking resources that were no longer in line with the charges that weighed on these homes.

"We tried to be present with the most vulnerable people," explains the president of Secours Catholique.

"We distributed service vouchers to allow food purchases, and basic necessities to people who wanted them," she adds, adding that at the height of the crisis, social services were not always open.

"We have also done a lot of maintaining the social link through a digital, telephone fraternity, so that people do not feel completely isolated and excluded".

"Building bridges", instead of "building walls"

Véronique Devise knows this situation well. Coming from the field, she was a social worker and volunteer for several years in Calais, in Hauts-de-France, a city marked by the situation of migrants. Beyond faith, it is its values ​​that carry it, she says. "There are values ​​on which I do not compromise, and in particular social justice, fraternity with people, especially the most excluded. Migrants are part of it, but we could also talk about people in detention. Faith gives me an additional strength, but these values ​​have supported me for 35 years ".

As president of Secours Catholique, Véronique Devise has only one objective: "to fight against poverty and exclusion", by integrating people experiencing poverty into this associative project.

The goal, she continues, is "to build bridges to these excluded people, because today, unfortunately, society is building walls".

Regretting that solidarity is little discussed in political debates, the president of Secours Catholique would like the upcoming presidential campaign to be an opportunity to send this type of message.

"We talk about security, but we are in a country where we can live in security. The fight against exclusion and poverty is very important for us. It is a major objective and we will pass the message on to the candidates."