The opening sentences of Secours Catholique's annual report are scathing.
At the height of the distress of all those who knock on the door of the association.
This is what the authors describe straight away in a block of nearly 150 pages: “Culinary programs bring together all generations in front of the
(television) set.
. France is a country where people live well, they say. However, the Covid pandemic will remain a striking image, that of the queues that stretch out in front of food distribution centers. In 2020, in France, up to 7 million people needed to use it ”. "That is to say nearly 10% of the French population who has no other choice but to queue at the soup kitchen", alarms Jean Merckaert, one of the officials of Secours Catholique. “Demand is on the rise again in 2020,” he adds.
“Poverty has not increased!
»Hammers the executive.
Like Gabriel Attal, the government spokesperson repeating that “the measures” taken in the context of “whatever the cost” have mitigated the impact of the crisis on those in greatest difficulty.
And to cite as proof the INSEE, which in these provisional microsimulations, does not observe, in fact, an increase in the poverty rate in 2020, stable at 9.3 million people.
But the statistical institute under the supervision of the Ministry of the Economy and Finance
recognizes, however, that the health crisis may have had a more marked effect on the most vulnerable people.
This is precisely the field observation made by Secours Catholique: "the pandemic has often worsened the intensity of the poverty already experienced", write the authors of the report.
An average budget of 537 euros, down compared to 2019
There are many alarming signals in this annual report, a real barometer for 25 years of the real state of poverty in France. More than half of those who requested food assistance, did so for the first time in 2020 or returned after several years. “It only takes an accident of life, an illness, a separation, the loss of employment or income to fall into poverty,” recalls Jean Merckaert. In this long list of the most disadvantaged, students, the self-employed, retirees, the unemployed, single mothers, employees, particularly part-time, placed in partial unemployment ... Among them, 27% of households to which checks were handed over -services are severely food insecure, the report points out. In other words, it happens regularly that they do not take any meals during the day.
Another worrying data is the average budget of people who have had recourse to Secours Catholique. It is down, with 537 euros per month to live against 543 euros in 2019, well below the extreme poverty line (739 euros). Two households out of three are below this threshold. “Managing a budget when you have barely more than 500 euros as with the RSA, it's almost impossible. We need a decent income, as all associations have been calling for for years. A question of dignity! »Asks Jean Merckaert.
As for the share of households without resources
(because they are not entitled to unemployment, RSA, social benefits, etc.)
encountered by volunteers, it also continues to increase: it reached 22% in 2020 against 14% in 2010. More than half of foreigners who appealed to Secours Catholique have no income.
Poverty Catholic Relief Report
The rise in energy prices has not yet been taken into account
Unsurprisingly, this cruel lack of money to live on leads to so much deprivation. “When income is barely sufficient to pay rent, health, debts, pension ... or when you have to deal with an unforeseen event
(such as the closure of canteens in 2020)
, we cut corners on the variable part of expenses, starting with food and heating, ”explain the authors of the report. The share of unpaid bills is also on the rise in 2020, led by rent
(42% of unpaid bills compared to 40% in 2019)
: in total it stands at 777 euros in 2020 against 756 euros the previous year.
The current explosion in energy prices also raises fears of the worst for this winter.
"There will be postponement effects which will be perceptible in 2022", affirms the director of Secours Catholique "because it is precisely these charges, which INSEE did not count in its last study, which risk increasing the final poverty rate ”.
Very political indicator expected in 2022 (in September), after the presidential elections ...