“Are we doing the fittings? You really are a star! “, enthuses Sixtine, nurse of the Samusocial of Paris. In a deserted alley near Montmartre, in the 18th arrondissement of Paris, Sixtine and her colleague Clément make Bacher*, a homeless Pakistani in his forties, try on jeans. “Do you have a 42 or a 44? “, he ventures. The day after a rainy night, his wet clothes keep him cold. The two nurses provide him with something to warm up. Then, they hand him a big black quilted jacket “designed to keep super warm”, says Sixtine. A donation from the Monoprix Foundation which, as winter approaches, has designed clothing adapted to the needs of the homeless.
Nearly 3,300 down jackets donated by the foundation will be distributed by several associations in the coming weeks. “The idea is that the distribution coincides with the needs,” says Isabelle Boudard, communications manager for the Monoprix Foundation. According to the feedback we’ve been able to get, there are around 3,000 homeless people in the capital. »
This Tuesday morning, before starting their marauding, Sixtine and Clément begin by going to the headquarters of Samusocial, in Ivry (Val-de-Marne). They recover five down jackets designed by Monoprix. Then, direction the town hall of the 12th arrondissement, where the marauding begins. The two nurses meet Sergei, a man in his fifties, to whom they provide a wheelchair. The man does not accept the down jacket. “It’s better to give it to someone else, another association has already given me one like that,” translates a Bulgarian-speaking interpreter on the phone.
The garment will ultimately go to Bacher. Sixtine hands him the big black puffer jacket, and he rejoices. He points to his “wet and cold” coat. “These clothes obviously serve to meet a pragmatic need of the homeless, that of keeping warm,” explains Isabelle Boudard. But distribution also makes it possible to recreate social ties. Especially since giving something new is rewarding. »
Interior pockets to prevent theft
“How long haven’t you seen him?” asks the nurse. Bacher turns over his belongings, lifts his blankets, and the plastic sheeting that protects him from the rain. But impossible to get hold of his pill box. A week earlier, Clément had given it to him so that he could properly follow his treatment. The man lifts his layers of clothing one by one and ends up pulling a blue box out from under his sweater. ” Ah, there you go ! “, he lets go. “A lot of times they have their meds stolen by other people looking for methadone [un médicament utilisé pour soulager la dépendance aux opioïdes] explains the nurse.
Bacher is camping near a Pakistani restaurant, where he hides his residence card so as not to have it stolen. “We took into account the feedback from the field agents to adapt our down jackets to the needs of the homeless,” explains the communication manager of the Monoprix Foundation. They have interior pockets so they can store the things they are afraid of being stolen. The down jackets have also been lengthened, to prevent them from riding up when the person is seated, the hood is more covering, and the waist is not curved for more comfort. A temporary solution for associations that hope to be able to get homeless people off the streets.
*Name has been changed