When you can’t get cool, hot weather can be a very difficult time to live with. In Tours, associations are adapting to help homeless people in the face of the heat wave. For example by organizing “heat maraudes” like La Croix Rouge or simply by leaving bottles of water cool and available like the solidarity café La Barque.
Nearly 700 homeless people identified in Indre-et-Loire
The heat, “Of course it’s complicated”explains Bébert, who has lived on the streets for nearly two years. “It’s hard to find a place in the shade where we can beg at the same time. And then people think we’re on vacation.” From time to time it still happens that traders allow him to fill his water bottle. “It’s our only comfort, let’s say…”
– Solene Gardre
Staying hydrated seems obvious, but this is one of the main challenges for homeless people. “When we are in the street we are less protected from the wind and the heat”explains Clément Fournier, the president of the Tours unit of La Croix Rouge. “They can also walk all day, which makes them particularly vulnerable to dehydration.”
Hydrating, “not always a priority”
“It’s true that buying water is not always their priority”, adds Dominique, a volunteer at the solidarity café La Barque. In the fridges of the establishment, there are therefore always bottles in the fridge. “It’s theirs. They put their name on it and they come and fill it up and leave it cool at our house.” The network of solidarity traders Le Carillon also offers a card where homeless people can come to drink or rest.
– Solene Gardre
The Red Cross, like the association Mutual aid and solidarityorganize them “heat maraudes”. Like their usual patrols, they distribute clothes and food. “There in addition, we tell them where to cool off, where the fountains are…” explains Clément Fournier. “It’s really very important to encourage them to take care of themselves.”