Toulouse. Help for the homeless: how marauding is orchestrated in winter
Through Quentin Marais
Published on
The month of December is launched. With him, cool temperatures and a winter approaching. A Toulouse, many associations provide assistance to the homeless. Who have need help more than ever at the end of the year. On the occasion of marauding, the Piafs de la Rue, MASE but also the Red Cross roam the streets of the Pink City. Winter is obviously always at the center of their attentions.
The winter strategy
For two years, the Piafs de la Rue have been crisscrossing Toulouse on Monday evening. Co-founder, Mateo Lair and his family are going to live their third winter. “On crosses less homeless people, but we no longer discuss with them“, He remarks.
” Winter, there is more human warmth, more sharing, ”continues the young Toulouse resident. “Last Monday, I spoke for 30 minutes with a homeless woman. I see her almost all the time, and we didn’t never talked so much …”
Not surprisingly, winter and its temperatures upset the contents of the bags that the volunteers wear. This is the case with the Piafs, but also with MASE, an association of INSA Toulouse, co-chaired by Émilie Combres. MASE travels through the city three times a week: twice with partners, once alone, on Thursday.
“Overall, we can see that we give a lot more hot drinks. We prepare sandwiches, pastaboxes, hot dishes, and hygiene products. These are things that we have a lot more trouble with. run out in the spring. There, people no longer say no, they take them.
At the Red Cross, “it goes through diversification a little more important types of marauding“, As Stéphane Blandin-Fauré, president of the Toulouse branch, explains. The association has three: marauding conveyed, pedestrian and the mobile teams.
“The latter is a medical raid,” he says. We take medical staff and we use care as a vector of social bond. These teams run on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons ”. The walking tours take place on Friday and Saturday.
“We are going to have a need for hot drinks, hot dishes. In our country, hot dishes come down to reheated Chinese noodles which are very invigorating. In general, there are hygiene needs, we emphasize the distribution of hygiene kit, in which we have the necessary for a week, whether for men or women “.
Donations, volunteering: is generosity waiting for you?
Beyond the thermometer, the covid and its fifth wave do not facilitate marauding either. “What is complicated are the health constraints applied to donations”, regrets Stéphane Blandin-Fauré.
“All associations, at the request of the prefecture, had to reduce their distribution of textiles because it can be vectors of contamination. But on this 5th wave, people are even more generous. They realize that they have already seen them. what a covid-phase winter was like, for people on the streets “.
Emilie Combres and MASE notice that there is “ a problem in terms of clothing. In general, it is mainly women who give, we do not know why, underlines the co-president. Except that the majority of our beneficiaries are men, and women donate clothes that are not very warm… ”
A special collection will be produced. “We hope that the students, when they return home from their parents, bring warm clothes that we can distribute … ”
Is there a trend in volunteering? Every Monday evening, the Piafs de la Rue leave at 32, four groups of eight people. “During the covid, everyone was available. There, activities resumed“, Notes Mateo Lair.
“It changed because during the covid, people had more time and had nothing to do. A bit like normal, there is less associative dedication, maybe less time for that too, and less also because people donated more during the covid ”.
The analysis is the same for Emilie Combres. ” It is more difficult to find volunteers. Everyone to resume their activities. »Every Thursday, 6 marauders set off to explore the city center, the Carmelites and Joan of Arc.
Bring Christmas to life
The Christmas holidays are fast approaching. This is the opportunity for the different associations to mark the occasion. ” On a planned more collections. This year, we will try to set up a collection point in front of a Carrefour, ”says Mateo Lair.
“Traditionally, we always have special Christmas operations at the Red Cross,” continues Stéphane Blandin-Fauré. ” On distributes gift boxes : people take a box of shoes and put something to eat, warm, for hygiene and a little note… ”
“The distribution is always a great moment, we have it for women, men, children … We are now able to organize operations. This year, they will take place on December 24, 25 and 31, as well as on January 1 . On a social emergency accommodation center which is placed in Purpan. He wishes to organize a festive evening for their 135 resident boarders “.
Back-up students
MASE approached INSA students. ” They must constitute a big backpack with, inside, a festive kit with lots of delicacies, a hygiene kit, a heat kit… A bag specifically for the end of the year periods, which we would offer to the homeless for Christmas. »Who arrives, despite everything, to keep smiling.
“Most are very happy, we stay discussing with them. They are happy that we come to speak to them, to help them. We are all students, they are not used to it. In general, the students avoid their gaze rather. that other choose. And there, we come to discuss with them. It makes them happy. Their life is not easy, they tell us… “
“Morale seems to be good. They say they fear the arrival of cold. They are looking for blankets, tents »We note on the side of Piafs de la Rue. “The previous winter phase had been very complicated,” continues the Red Cross.
An early winter
Stéphane Blandin-Fauré answers this question with a motto. “To the Red Cross, on a leitmotif: prepare to be ready”. Especially in case of early winter: “We are a little surprising because the winter temperatures at the end of November are suddenly fallen …”
Confidence remains, “since we are ready to respond to that. We know we have the capacity to increase the number of marauding. But the marauding only turns for orientation purposes. Sur does not have control over accommodation… ”
Stéphane Blandin-Fauré is sounding the alarm: “ On one less than one quilt by marauding. We have to make choices, synchronize ourselves with other associations that carry out patrols to be sure that we manage to cover all needs ”.
“We are counting on the collection, on the Sacadeau operation. We hope that it will work well and that we will have many INSA classes participating. We will do our targeted collection of warm clothing. Otherwise, we will be annoyed because we are running out of our stock a little. But there is no particular fear “.
Always marauding, even during the holidays
The Piafs de la Rue will experience their third winter. “We must expect a little less people available from the 25th to the 31st. But we can always conduct small-scale marauding.”
“For this winter, we are doing a bit from day to day, while adapting. It’s been two weeks since on certain routes, we meet less people. So we will see to modify our routes a little. ! “
How to participate in a maraud?
It is possible to participate in a marauding. To join the Piafs de la Rue, all you have to do is contact the association, present on Facebook and Instagram.
Same process for marauding with MASE. The association can also be reached on Facebook and Instagram.
On the Red Cross side, you must register from the website of the Toulouse branch of the association.
The prefecture strengthens the systems for the homeless
By way of a press release, the Haute-Garonne prefecture indicated that the social watch system “relies above all on the 6,283 permanent general accommodation places” in the department.
– 1,924 emergency accommodation places
– 698 places of integration or stabilization accommodation
– 3,661 temporary or adapted housing places
The prefecture adds that during the month of December will see “the opening of a whole of places to allow the sheltering of the most vulnerable”.
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