"It's a bit like giving them a funeral": a ceremony in Paris to pay tribute to the 855 homeless people who will die in 2024

623 in 2022, 611 in 2023, and 855 last year. The number of homeless deaths continues to rise. To combat the invisibility of this scandal, the collective Les morts de la rue (The Dead on the Street) paid tribute on Tuesday, May 20, to all the people who died "homeless" in France last year.

On the walls of the amphitheater in Belleville Park, posters remind us that "living on the streets kills" and that "everyone was someone." This is why the name of each person who died on the streets was read aloud during the initiative.

The collective invited elected officials and political figures to this ceremony of reading the names, in order to "raise their awareness, confront them with the facts so that they become aware." On Tuesday evening, the left was mainly represented, notably with the communist senator Ian Brossat , the LFI deputy Sophia Chikirou and Rémi Féraud, socialist senator. Several municipal councilors from the city of Paris were also present.

For Bruno Hoguet, a member of the collective who lived on the streets for several months, this aspect is essential: "I managed to get by by getting by, but it's also thanks to the help of the little politicians around us. They act to help us."

The ceremony concluded with a tribute. All spectators were then invited to place a rose next to the name of a deceased "homeless" person. A recording of the names being read was played, accompanied, where possible, by a life story.

"It's a bit like giving them a funeral," says Arnaud, attending the event for the second time. The procession is long. Amidst the emotion, everyone hopes they won't have to lay flowers next year. But 186 homeless people have already died this year. Not to mention the deaths that haven't even been counted.

Because many homeless people still die in general indifference and are never identified. "We can only keep verifiable cases," adds Bérangère Grisoni, president of Morts de la rue. "We work on the basis of citizen reports, from the police or firefighters, media monitoring and thanks to the help of DIHAL, the Interministerial Delegation for Accommodation and Access to Housing."

The volunteer denounces political inaction. " Today, we have laws that are not enforced. It is the State's duty to ensure that housing policies are a priority." And this, while homelessness is exploding in France . In twelve years, it has increased by more than 145% according to the Foundation for Housing the Disadvantaged, or 350,000 people on the streets.

For France, the world's seventh-largest economy, these figures are devastating. In the European Union, France holds the sad record for the highest rate of homelessness. Shortly after his first inauguration, Emmanuel Macron announced that he wanted "no more women and men on the streets," and that "by the end of" 2017. Eight years later, the situation has worsened...