The very winter weather conditions in Burgundy since the start of the week (February 8) have led to orange vigilance “snow ice“in Côte-d’Or and activated level 1 of the plan “Extreme cold” in Saône-et-Loire.
–
The “Great Cold” plan was triggered on November 19 (start date of the seasonal watch). It is maintained until April 6, 2021, unless the weather conditions require its extension.
Romain, homeless, 30 years old: “I’ve been on the streets for twelve years, I’m on the prowl”
A distribution of hot drinks and food is carried out at the departure of the teams, to meet the homeless, then a usual circuit in town begins. Two volunteers, Perrine and Sebahattine patrol Dijon city center from 8 p.m. until after midnight.
Under the porch of Saint-Philibert church, two homeless people aged 22 and 30 spend the night.
The oldest is Romain, he grew up in Narbonne, roamed all over France. When asked about his current living conditions in the street, he answers: “I’ve been on the streets for twelve years, I’m on the prowl […]I don’t know if it’s courage, for me it’s more routine. “
For Tao, 22, when we talk about the cold, for him, the solution is “we try to sleep, close our eyes, and then wait.
Perrine, volunteer at the Red Cross: “they also need human warmth”
Perrine is a volunteer at the Red Cross, team leader of the marauding, and responsible for the Samu Social. She sums up what volunteers do with the homeless: “We meet people in need, of course they need food, they also need human warmth, whether it is social connection, discussion and they need guidance: if they have a medical concern, we are able to direct them to such and such a place. Most of them are people that we see every night, with different teams. They are people who need contact, who are isolated, especially in this moment, and we exchange, on everything and nothing. “
Sebahattine is also a volunteer. There is no question of the living conditions of the homeless when he goes to meet them:“We immediately see what we can provide them: accommodation, a hot drink, gloves, clothes, chat a little with them, that’s all we can do[…] It takes a lot of courage to stay outside. “
The patrols are there to promote meetings and dialogue
The teams in the field go out to meet people on the street and try to maintain, or even recreate, a social bond. The goal, when they wish, is then to direct them to a hosting solution that suits them.
Red Cross volunteers must respect two imperatives:
- respect people’s choice,
- urgently offer unconditional help.
Among the measures of the Deep Cold Plan, additional actions of “marauding“are engaged:
During the day, the marauding team of the association Société Dijonnaise d’Assistance par le Travail (SDAT) can be mobilized in Dijon to visit homeless people identified, in order to assess their needs and offer them a appropriate care. A mobile team can also intervene in Beaune.
In the evening, the Samu Social, made up of volunteers from the Red Cross, intervenes every day from 8 p.m. to midnight in Dijon and its nearby agglomeration for the benefit of homeless people and people reported by the 115. It distributes meals and if necessary transports people to accommodation after agreement from 115.
Distribution of food and hot drinks by the Red Cross Wednesday evening, February 10, in Dijon
•
© FTV
–
Activation of level 1 of the “Grand Froid” plan in the Saône-et-Loire department
Given the announcement by Météo France of the significant drop in temperatures in the coming days in the department of Saône-et-Loire, Julien Charles, prefect of Saône-et-Loire, has
decided to activate level 1 “Cold weather period between -5 ° C and -10 ° C” of the Great Cold Plan.
The permanent accommodation system is 761 places, including 235 emergency accommodation places managed by accommodation professionals and volunteer structures.
As part of the extreme cold plan, 33 additional places are mobilized with a gradual increase in load since November 2020 to allow sheltering
vulnerable audiences.
Reception and accommodation capacities in the department have been strengthened.
As part of the activation of level 1 of the extreme cold plan, and in addition to these places:
– the four day centers (Mâcon, Chalon-sur-Saône, Autun and Louhans) are invited to extend their opening hours during the day, in conjunction with accommodation facilities,
– a reinforcement of the marauding on Mâcon, Chalon-sur-Saône, the Grand Autunois and Tournus is organized,
– mobilization of a “Mobi 115” transport system managed by the Red Cross on activation of the 115 in order to allow the transport of people to accommodation.
The report by Corentin Fouchard and Baptiste Mézerette
Speakers:
- Gaëlle Romain, Red Cross volunteer
- Tao Le Dortz, homeless
- Romain Carriere, homeless
Cold weather plan: the Samu social maraudes in Dijon
–
–
