The homeless (SDF) live on the streets and unfortunately also die there. Identifying these “outside society” deaths is not a common statistic, it is the work of the collective Les Morts de la Rue, which campaigns for better management not only of the funerals of the homeless, but to prevent and avoid this end of life. tragic life.
At least 620 people living on the street or in temporary accommodation structures died in France in 2021. The report published by the collective The dead on the street lists, among these deaths, a majority of men (89%) and an average age of 48 years, that is to say thirty years less than the average age of death in the rest of the population. Julien, an epidemiologist, works part-time for the association, he explains to RFI: ” 620 is our number, but the system is not complete. Inserm estimated 3,000 deaths per year in France, so the exact figure is between the two. »
Sylvain, the acrobat of rue des Boulets
He loved to climb trees, sometimes quite high, which tended to worry passers-by. He also did the splits and liked to dance in the park whenever there was music.https://t.co/fcDsoToX02 pic.twitter.com/3zf9GDU4t8
— Mortsdelarue (@Mortsdelarue) September 15, 2022
“Reviving the memory of the dead on the street is important”
With these data, the association wants to ” make visible a hidden reality “. Christine from The dead on the street details: ” We identify the mortality of the homeless at the national level with the help of regional collectives, the social Samu, but also local residents or public hospitals. Our volunteers, after a death, put up posters in the street and seek more information about the person in order to pay their respects. Giving a memory back to the dead on the street is important. We are three employees and more than a hundred volunteers. “She explains to RFI:” Offering dignity at the funeral, finding the entourage of the person, his family to attend the funeral, this is our job. “She returns to a recent episode that marked her:” Avenue Hoche, a homeless man known to residents for almost 20 years, was found dead one morning. Very quickly, in the street, a small altar was made with candles and flowers. And a young girl from the neighborhood, with a substantial collection of money, came to see us so that we could organize the funeral as well as possible with the City of Paris. »
Nearly a third are victims of a violent death
In 2021, 39% of these deaths occurred in the street or the metro, 30% in a care establishment and 12% in a squat, a car or a building hall. 42% of deaths occurred in Île-de-France and nearly a third are victims of a violent death caused by an attack, drowning…
” This is the 10th edition of our report. It is also an opportunity for us to assess our system and its relevance. says Julien. Social networks are not absent from their device Twitter, Facebook and instagram.
“The lack of means and appropriate responses”
Julien remembers this young African still a teenager who came to France after a journey through Libya and Europe. ” He was about to find a structure and he was going to go to school at the start of the school year. He drowned during the summer. In total, over the last ten years (the period during which the collective conducted its investigations), 5,508 homeless people died. During the year, the collective recorded 81 deaths of formerly homeless people. The collective denounces the lack of resources and appropriate responses to support homeless people. It recommends ensuring access to housing for vulnerable populations and preventing the loss of housing. A blog dedicated to their memory is available here.
Make a donation to the collective, it’s over there.