After having repeatedly rejected it, the French government presented its poverty plan this Monday, September 18. Despite measures against child poverty, emergency accommodation places and aid for returning to work, associations remain hungry. They mainly denounce a lack of ambition and the short-term vision, without structural work, on poverty in France.
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From postponement to postponement, associations fighting against poverty have been waiting for the government’s new plan for eight months. Élisabeth Borne presented them with the long-awaited measures this Monday during a meeting in Matignon. “ For housing, for health, for access to education or employment, sometimes even for food, poverty is a daily challenge for all those who face it. », Commented the Prime Minister.
Prevention of poverty from childhood, return to employment, fight against exclusion and measures to ensure that the ecological transition does not weigh too heavily on the most deprived, the “Solidarity Pact” is broken down into four main areas. This new plan must have a “ 50% increase in credits dedicated to the fight against poverty compared to the previous strategy “, also indicated the Prime Minister. Launched in 2018, the previous plan was allocated 8 billion euros over four years. Note that the government is planning specific measures for overseas territories, particularly affected by poverty.
Among the measures already announced, and which appear in the pact, the creation of a “colo pass” for CM2 children and the creation of 200,000 nursery places by 2030 aim to fight against poverty in the childhood. To this end, the government also plans to continue the distribution of free breakfasts in certain schools. “ Our model must allow social advancement and I have one conviction: it is through work that we get through it », underlined Elisabeth Borne.
Measures, such as the planned creation in 2025 of a return to work bonus, also aim to encourage a return to employment. Maintaining the 203,000 existing emergency accommodation places is also part of the pact, as is the second five-year “Housing First” plan, the objective of which is to support homeless people into housing.
The associations expected much more
Scalded by the various postponements of a text which was initially to be presented last January, the associations were divided regarding the strategy presented. “ Measures respond to the emergency linked to galloping inflation, but we do not see how this strategy will succeed in reducing poverty », Commented to AFP Noam Leandri, president of the Alerte collective which brings together 34 associations fighting against poverty. “ We think this is insufficient. »
“ Sincerely, I am very disappointed because I really have the feeling that they have not understood the challenge of the fight against poverty and extreme poverty in our country, scathed the president of ATD Fourth World, Marie-Aleth Grard. Because in fact, it’s developing things that already exist, but a little bit more “. The figures put forward by the government do not satisfy her at all: “ When we say that we are going to identify 50,000 young people, it is not 50,000 young people who have left the school system, but a million and a half in our country. It’s not up to par. »
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Small gestures but no structural measures
No structural measures have been announced to satisfy the associations. Like the revaluation of social minimums for those most affected by inflation, which is what the associations were asking for. For the president of the Federation of Solidarity Actors (FAS), Pascal Brice, the account is not there: “ There has been no announcement to end the social housing crisis. There is a capacity to be long-term on emergency accommodation issues, this is really positive for 2023, but next year we will have to fight again. »
Small gestures, but never really enough. “ There are elements there which are useful, but whether for people, for associations, I reiterated to the Prime Minister that we were extremely weakened and in a very structural way, there are still battles to be fought. “.
Poverty affects 9.2 million people, or nearly 15% of the French population according to INSEE. The poverty line is set at 60% of the population’s median standard of living. More than one in 10 people cut corners on heating, food, various products and services. In this context, also marked by high inflation, requests are pouring in from food aid distributors, leading associations to the brink of collapse, such as Restos du Cœur which raised a cry of alarm at the beginning of September. The next meeting between players in the sector and the government will take place in early 2024, Matignon announced.
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