Deprived of housing, despite his salary, he is forced to live in his car

Live in his car. It’s the sad daily life of Thomas [prénom modifié] since more than a month. In reality, he is not alone in this galley, since his friend Lara [prénom modifié] accompanies him in this tiny house on four wheels.

If Lara did not wish to reveal her story, Thomas decided to do so, because he no longer supports this existence.

No proof = no accommodation

Thomas is 25 years old and comes from Poitiers (Vienne). More than a month ago, he went back to Chartres (Eure-et-Loir) with Lara, who wanted to be closer to his family. He has worked in catering, in the kitchen sector or even in body repair, and he now officiates on a temporary basis in the logistic transport on Chartres, at night.

There is a possibility of permanent employment at stake, with the hope of changing the situation later.

Despite the payment of the RSA as well as his interim salary, Thomas is obliged to live in your carbecause of the impossibility for him to obtain accommodation.

Indeed, whether with individuals or associations, the files for obtaining housing impose requests that Thomas considers “impossible to fulfill”, such as a proof of address, a pay slip for the last three months or a financial guarantor.

The young man’s parents are already guarantors for the car and its insurance, and cannot afford to take any further steps. They are also doing their research on their own to find a place to drop off for their son, and have asked for help, especially on Facebook.

And as for the proof of address, it is complicated to obtain one when your current home is itinerant and has a combustion engine…

Thomas must visit a new accommodation this Saturday, July 16, 2022 but, there too, it could well be that these requests block the file. The young man then regrets, given the situation, that the obligations are not relaxed, that the town hall does not disregard certain papers, especially on the payslips, which he can only provide over the last two months instead of the three required.

All these obligations piled up mean that today he has no accommodation, even though he could pay for it.

life outside the car

So, Thomas and Lara live in the car of the first, while waiting. Before that, they lived in the hotelbut all of the money that went into the coffers went into the settlement of the chamber, which ultimately led them to make the decision to live in this automobile.

Thomas has already passed two weeks on the street last year “when you want to sleep, there is no choice! “.

His current income allows him to do some shopping, pay for gas for the car and put aside a little to anticipate future housing, but the responsibility for food is mainly borne by the Food from the heart and the maraudingshe who comes twice a week to bring food.

In terms of meals, Thomas tries to make at least one a day, very often after 10 p.m. so as not to have a drop in diet at work the following night.

One a day is also the goal for showers, but that too is complicated. He defrauds hotels when possible to gain access, and it has never penalized him, but it is hard to think of doing it every day. Microwaves too, he tries to find as many as possible, always in hotels, so as not to eat cold food all the time.

life in the car

Once in the car, he folds the seats down for the night, just to have the flattest “bed” possible, despite the amount of stuff stored in the trunk and on the back seat.

“Not very comfortable” for Thomas, too big for the small city car. A car that allows him to charge his laptop, the air conditionerelle, regulates the cabin temperature just before nightfall, in order to combat the strong heat which affected and still affects Chartres.

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This microscopic house will also cause many costs, since the windshield and the spare wheel are to be changed, and the front bodywork is also to be repaired.

Thomas, who plans to meet a social workermoves every day in order not to be spotted, it is very rare that he stays three consecutive nights in the same place.

The goal is ” to hide and be discreet“. The car is sometimes parked at night in his work parking lot, which is sufficiently secured with cameras. The rest of the time, he looks for secluded places where it will not obstruct traffic, and tries to place itself according to the sunrise. The day is shade, shade and more shade, as much as possible.

He assures that he would be “less careful” if he lived alone, but the presence of Lara, who has equipped herself with a tear gas canister, forces him to be plus prudent. The fear of being held up and being kidnapped is “everyday”, but if he thinks he can defend himself, he fears more for his friend, especially when he is at work and she is left alone in the car.

Too little help

With regard to aid, the Temporary Labor Social Action Fund (FASTT), association contacted by the interim company, allows him to use 300 € per year, which was used to spend some time at the hotel, and then nothing.

The police, whom he went to meet to find out what was or was not possible in terms of life in the car, advised him to call the number 115, Social Emergency number which allows to obtain accommodation for the night, but it was in vain. For two weeks, he called at 2 p.m. – time indicated by the police – to always receive the same answer: “there is no room available, call back tomorrow”. Today he doesn’t call anymore, completely disillusioned.

According to him, the organization that helps him the most is the Restos du Coeur.

He also wishes to bring a smile to these Restaurants or these marauding events, to show that their help is appreciated and not in vain.

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