Unprecedented deaths of homeless people in France

At least 735 homeless people died in France in 2023, according to a report released by the Collectif Les Morts de la Rue (CMDR) organization, which was reported by French media. According to the report, the number increases to 826 if you include people who were homeless in the past but did not die there. France recorded 624 homeless deaths in 2022 and 719 in 2021.

The study found that the average age at which homeless people died was 48.8 years old, compared to an average of about 50 years old in 2019. Despite the fact that the number of homeless women in France has increased dramatically over the past year, the report found that homeless men (88%) have a higher mortality rate than homeless women.

The actual number of homeless deaths may be six times higher, according to experts and human rights organizations. They voiced their worries about France's ongoing homelessness problem and attacked government representatives for their lack of concern. Due to the authorities' lack of concern and the growing number of victims, France's homelessness crisis is getting worse.

A UNICEF report released this summer claims that during the previous four years, the number of homeless children in France has risen by 120%. The UNICEF study revealed that the number of homeless children in France has hit a record high on the eve of the school year, showing that the government of French President Emmanuel Macron has failed to address the issue.

Nearly a fifth of France's homeless children are under three years old, making this the first time the country's child homelessness rate has surpassed 2,000. UNICEF described this as a concerning situation.

The number of emergency shelters in France has surged to an unprecedented level in response to the escalating crisis; however, the number of homeless women with children has increased by 46% in a single year, adding to the scale of the homelessness crisis.

The current state of child homelessness in France is unprecedented since 2014, according to a French organization that works to protect children's rights. The organization also noted that pregnant women and newborns are becoming more homeless at the same time as the country's child homelessness crisis is getting worse.

In this context, the head of UNICEF France stated: "The statistics demonstrate the ongoing worsening of the situation, and the ongoing rise in the number of homeless children in France is a tragedy. This demonstrates that, even after ratifying the International Convention on the Rights of the Child, the French government has disregarded its tenets.".