The Prime Minister claimed that “550,000” homeless people had found accommodation thanks to government action. The order of magnitude is considered “consistent” by the Abbé-Pierre foundation. LFI deputies put forward the figure of “330,000” without a fixed address in the country. This estimate, established using INSEE data, could be lower than reality.
What is Emmanuel Macron’s record in terms of reducing the number of people on the streets? While Gabriel Attal’s government still does not have a Minister of Housing in office almost ten days after the reshuffle, the left has made it an angle of attack at a time when France experienced an episode of freezing cold. During his first question session in the National Assembly, Tuesday January 16, the new Prime Minister responded to a question from Mathilde Panot, the leader of the La France Insoumise (LFI) deputies, on this subject.
Gabriel Attal retorted that the presidential majority had “removed 550,000 people from homelessness, enabling them to have lasting housing”. The LFI deputy for Marseille, Manuel Bompard, replied on the social networksaying the Prime Minister’s figures were “lies”. The political coordinator of LFI assured that “according to the Abbé-Pierre foundation, there were 142,000 homeless people in 2015 and 330,000 in 2023”. His colleague Thomas Portes, LFI deputy for Seine-Saint-Denis, also brandished these figures, in a tweetconsidering that the head of government “invent” its balance sheet.
Various situations and data
If the figures put forward by Gabriel Attal and the LFI deputies are different, they do not contradict each other. “They do not highlight the same subjectnote, interviewed by franceinfo, Manuel Domergue, director of studies at the Abbé-Pierre foundation. “Gabriel Attal talks about the number of people who have found housing, while Manuel Bompard talks about the number of homeless people”, he continues. Manuel Domergue also tweeted in reaction to this controversy: “It may seem strange, but Manuel Bompard and Gabriel Attal are both right.” Explanations.
The Prime Minister refers to the results of the government’s Housing First plan, implemented in 2018. According to the government, this plan has enabled nearly 440,000 people to get off the street and into housing, between 2018 and 2022. Since June 2023, the government has launched the Housing First 2 plan. “The figure of 550,000, mentioned by Gabriel Attal, would therefore be the figure with the addition of the year 2023”says Manuel Domergue, who adds: “This appears consistent with the foundation’s 2023 balance sheet calculations.” Contacted by franceinfo, the Interministerial Delegation for Accommodation and Access to Housing (Dihal), responsible for the Housing First 2 plan, did not respond. It is therefore impossible to confirm this analysis.
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This order of magnitude of “550,000 people released from homelessness” mentioned by the Prime Minister actually covers various situations. As the government explains, people who have left the street are counted, whether by entering a place of accommodation, obtaining social housing, a place in a boarding house or an apartment in the private sector. thanks to the rental intermediation system. “In the absence of reliable data”specifies the site, this calculation does not, however, take into account people who have accessed private accommodation without state assistance and who benefit from the national system for welcoming asylum seekers.
Manuel Bompard and Thomas Portes highlight another reality: the increase in the number of homeless people in France. To do this, they cite figures from the Abbé-Pierre foundation. According to this institution which publishes a report each year, the number of homeless people increased from 142,000 to 330,000 between 2015 and 2023, in the territory. This population would therefore have more than doubled in the space of eight years.
An estimate of the number of homeless people made by INSEE
This figure from the Abbé-Pierre Foundation is, however, only an estimate, based on INSEE data dating from the last census, in 2012, and which are themselves estimates. “Our count is not exhaustive eitherrecognizes from franceinfo Thomas Lellouch, project director at INSEE. The aim of the survey is to estimate the number of homeless people and analyze their profile. To do this, INSEE researchers contact structures welcoming homeless people: accommodation centers, marauding centers, meal distribution centers, etc. “We ask them for their attendance rate to estimate the number of homeless people,” specifies Thomas Lellouch. This major study is not carried out annually by INSEE. “The next census is scheduled for 2025. The survey work is too long to carry it out every year,” argues the INSEE project director. In the absence of more recent data, INSEE is therefore not confirming this increase for the moment.
To try to have more up-to-date figures, other organizations have taken responsibility for carrying out censuses. The Abbé-Pierre foundation has been establishing its own count since 2007. “We based ourselves on INSEE data from 2012 and we update them every year”, specifies Manuel Domergue. Volunteers from the Abbé-Pierre foundation use the same techniques as INSEE and contact structures welcoming homeless people. Other initiatives, municipal, citizen or associative, have also emerged, particularly in large cities, such as solidarity nights. The goal is to survey the area for a few hours in order to count the number of people sleeping on the street. In Paris, on the night of January 26 to 27, 2023, volunteers counted 3,015 people “without hosting solution“, compared to 2,598 the previous year.
A figure that could be underestimated
The number of homeless people could be much higher in France than these studies indicate. First, the INSEE figures do not take overseas territories into account. Then, some people are not seen during these censuses. “It’s a very complex count to carry out, notes the INSEE researcher. If people are in building lobbies, stairwells or in a car, they are not counted.” Finally, the countdown date can play a role. Solidarity nights are often organized in winter, a period when there are fewer homeless people on the streets. “In winter, extreme cold plans are put in place, the homeless are more likely to end up in shelters or to be housed by individuals”, specifies Thomas Lellouch. The next INSEE survey will take place in spring 2025.
In summary, as Manuel Bompard and Thomas Portes have stated, the number of homeless people has increased significantly in France under the presidency of Emmanuel Macron, according to estimates from the Abbé-Pierre foundation. But, at the same time, some homeless people have left the streets: 440,000, at least, in five years, according to the government. “So the government took thousands of people off the streets, but thousands more ended up there,” summarizes Manuel Domergue.