Housing to become legal right in France
Homeless people in France will have legal redress if a draft bill is passed in the current parliamentary session.
Homelessness was forced onto the French political agenda when fires in inadequate, overcrowded Paris housing killed almost 50 people in 2005. The issue has been kept alive by the ‘Children of Don Quixote’, a small voluntary organisation named after the heroic idealist created by Spanish novelist Cervantes. The group has pitched tents in the wintry streets of Paris, Toulouse, Lyon and on the beaches of Nice (pictured) to draw attention to this fundamental human right.
Official figures put the number of sans domicile fixe or homeless people in France at fewer than 100,000, while NGOs claim over 3 million people have serious housing difficulties. Of a total population of some 63 million, that’s nearly 5 per cent.
So prominent is the issue now that the French Prime Minister, outgoing President and both leading presidential candidates have all come out in support of the right to housing.
President Chirac has also promised a US$92 million boost in funding to relieve homelessness. Housing advocates argue for publicly subsidised housing rather than the current emphasis on temporary shelters. A minimum of 2 years in stable accommodation is thought to be a prerequisite for finding a job.
The International Herald Tribune reports that education and health are already enforceable rights in France, and housing is set to enjoy the same status.
Meanwhile, Nigeria, Greece and the Philippines have received the ignominious 2006 Housing Rights Violator Award by the Geneva-based NGO Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions.
