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Poor housing: homeless people survive as best they can in the Bois de Vincennes
Poor housing: homeless people survive as best they can in the Bois de Vincennes – (France 2)
In France, the winter cold has claimed new victims among the homeless. A 76-year-old man died on Saturday January 20 in Poissy (Yvelines). More than 140 people live in the Bois de Vincennes in makeshift cabins.
Many homeless people are forced to survive in the Bois de Vincennes (Val-de-Marne), and are exposed to the winter cold. Among them, Marco, considers the forest his home. Without a family, he was tossed between homes and foster families. Surviving in his truck thanks to odd jobs, he arrived in the woods five years ago, after a man set his vehicle on fire. “When we are seen outside begging, we are told “go to work”, when we are looking for work, we are told “find somewhere to live”. It’s the snake that bites its tail every time“, he summarizes.
Associations are increasing their raids
Like Marco, nearly 140 people survive in the Bois de Vincennes, in makeshift camps, placed out of sight. But the phenomenon is not new. During a first census in 2008, 268 people were already settled there, including a minority of women. During periods of extreme cold, associations increase raids to combat the risk of death.
