While France is confining itself to limit the spread of the Covid-19 epidemic, how can we protect the homeless (between 140,000 and 250,000 people) and help them cope with the virus? Ditto for migrants who reside in makeshift camps, where "social distancing" cannot be respected.
Emmanuel Macron mentioned Monday, March 16, in his speech the situation of the most vulnerable people. Julien Denormandie, Minister of Housing, "wants to act strong and fast", he announces that individual accommodation in hotels will be opened to allow the most insecure to be confined, like the others.
How to manage the confinement of those who live outside?
JULIEN DENORMANDIE. We do our utmost to help and shelter the homeless. My ministry, like the associations, has been extremely mobilized since the start of the crisis. The follow-up committee that I created on Friday has already met three times, we are in daily contact with all the players. As the President said in his speech, we are not leaving out “the most precarious”. I say it clearly: solidarity must not be a victim of COVID-19. For the moment, there are a few dozen cases of contamination among the homeless, but it is my responsibility to act preventively.
How do we do it?
Very concretely, new centers are opening their doors this evening (Editor's note: this Wednesday) to accommodate people who live on the street and allow them to be welcomed in good hygienic conditions. In Paris, we requisition the CIS Paris Kellerman hotel (13th century), the first 50 individual hotel rooms will be opened this evening. By the end of the week, this will be the case for 170 rooms. We work a lot with players in the hotel industry. Discussions with the Accor group, thanks to its hotel owners, have made it possible to identify nearly 500 rooms, including more than two hundred in Paris and its surroundings. This is just the beginning !
We therefore do not house the homeless in gymnasiums…
Individual rooms should be preferred as much as possible. The organization in the face of the health war that we are experiencing is different from that of the very cold plans where we offer accommodation places in gymnasiums. During confinement, we need a maximum of structures with isolated spaces. It is for this reason that in addition to Accor, we are talking with other hotel groups that I met on Thursday on this subject.
What about homeless people affected by Coronavirus but who would not need to be hospitalized?
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People who are infected but whose condition does not require hospitalization, the order is to stay at home. What to do when you have no home? It is for them that we create specific reception centers, called "loosening centers". The first two are being opened in Paris, there will be one in the 14th arrondissement, one in the 18th. Across the country, 80 sites have already been identified (or 2,875 places).
They will open as the need arises. To allow all this, it took the daily determination of the State and associations, whose quality, commitment and courage I salute. Over the past ten days, we have also set up an operational unit managed by the administration to help day-to-day actors in the field.
Associations launch an SOS. In the context of the crisis, they are understaffed. How can I help them? Can we mobilize teachers for example?
We have already released an envelope of 50 million euros to manage the crisis. This may increase as needed. In the area of human resources, very concrete measures have been put in place to deal with the difficulties, in particular plans to continue the activity as it exists in many companies. It may involve pooling staff. We work with the government, and in particular my colleagues Jean-Michel Blanquer and Gabriel Attal. We are also working on a matching platform (Editor's note) between those who would like to help, such as civic services, and associations that might need help. In this time of crisis, it must be done in an organized and managed manner.
Do you advise French people not to rush alone with the help of people in great precariousness?
We must salute the will of these French people who show great solidarity. The best thing is that they turn to associations that have the experience, expertise and organization to support the support of the most vulnerable.
Could the employees and volunteers of the most precarious aid associations benefit from childcare like health workers?
This reception is now reserved for hospital nursing staff who are the warriors at the front of this war against the Covid-19. In addition, it is absolutely necessary to limit contact between children.
Will these associations who go to meet the homeless, including to identify those who could be sick, have access to the masks?
There are protections for the loosening sites, which accommodate homeless people who are known to be contaminated. For the rest, the doctrine is the same as for all of us: the best protection is the application of barrier gestures (social distance and frequent hand washing), masks are now reserved for caregivers in connection with patients.
Can we consider them people who live on the street automatically at risk, like people over 70 years…
Ultimately, the analysis of the medical profession prevails. However, doctors and nurses know that someone who lives on the street is more at risk.
How to practice or even know the barrier gestures when you live in a wood, in a camp or on the street?
Obviously, people who live outside do not have access to the same possibilities to wash their hands every hour ... It is for this reason that we shelter as many people as possible. Many precarious people are already in precarious accommodation centers, nearly 157,000 people. It is more than the population of Brest. However in all the centers (Emmaüs, Red Cross, Samu ...) I can assure you that these health instructions are repeated.
Beyond this crisis, will these new forms of solidarity last?
I am convinced that there will be a before and an after Covid-19. But today, my mobilization is entirely turned to support the most precarious and the associations that support them.