Analysis of data gathered from the count on the 2nd Night of Solidarity.
The second “Night of Solidarity” took place in Paris from 7th to 8th February 2019. The anonymous and objective counting of homeless people, was carried out in collaboration with numerous partners, elected members, institutions, associations and volunteers, and was inspired by and based on the method developed in New York and already used in other cities around the world. Since the first Night of Solidarity which took place in Paris in 2018, numerous initiatives have also been developed in other cities in France (Metz, Grenoble, Rennes, Montpellier, Toulouse, etc.).
Counting people on the streets allows one to estimate the number of those with no accommodation on a winters night in Paris and to obtain, via a questionnaire, elements of information about the people met and their needs. This study presents the method used for counting and gives details about the 2019 Night of Solidarity following the analysis of questionnaire results. It also includes contributions made by members of the scientific committee which make it possible to put the results into perspective by comparing them with other surveys and to focus on particular groups of people.
3,641 people with no possible shelter where counted in this way on the night of the 7th-8th February 2019 in Paris. The majority of them were met in the street (62%) but people were also found in train stations (8%), métro stations (8%), woods (8%), and in other specific places (embankments of the Périphérique ring-road, car parks, hospital emergency waiting rooms etc.). Alongside this, over 25,000 places were opened in accommodation centres, at hotels and one night stay-over centres. The number of homeless people counted is higher than in 2018, partly due to the area covered being enlarged.
The 2019 count confirms the geography of the homeless obtained during the first Night of Solidarity, as well as the main features of profiles: a higher number of women than in previous surveys (14% of the homeless met), a high proportion of people met in groups (30%). Very little recourse to the 115 help line was confirmed with 2 out of 3 (63%) people saying they had never used it. The next Nights of Solidarity will make it possible to go more in depth into the evolution seen between 2018 and 2019, with a higher number of people in groups and fewer young people aged under 25.
