His eyes are tired but his mind remains sharp. Eugene nevertheless admits to being “at the end of the line”. “I feel my health failing me. I am exhausted, very anxious”. We quickly understand why when we discover in what conditions the Rwandan survives. On the banks of the Vilaine, a few meters from Avenue François-Château, Eugène has built a makeshift squat where he has been spending his days and nights for ten months. Every day, dozens of joggers and cyclists pass in front of the site barriers that Eugene erected for protection. Some regulars dare to wave, but most are unaware of the presence of this courteous and respectful man. In the neighborhood, some complain about the barking of his dog, baptized King. “They sometimes call the police. I would prefer that they come and talk to me”, testifies his master.
Last month, Eugene lent himself to an unusual exercise by agreeing to tell his life, his career and his troubles in a video shot by Martin Rousselot. He and the tall 20-year-old became friends a few months ago when Martin organized a raid to distribute food and clothing to homeless people in Rennes. Touched by Eugene’s journey, the young founder of the Tous Inclus association published the video on his networks, revealing the life of his new friend, but also the situation that took him to the street. “I wanted us to go into his intimacy so that people realize the misfortune experienced by some. Eugène is a good person, someone who wants to get by and yet he lives there, outside”.
Since he created his association at the end of 2019 to “make his father proud” after an argument, Martin Rousselot has met many homeless people living or surviving in Rennes. How many are they in total? Difficult to assess. In its report released on Wednesday, the Abbé Pierre foundation estimates that the number of people on the street has doubled in less than ten years in France and would amount to at least 300,000 people. “Since I’ve been on patrols, I haven’t met anyone who had chosen the street, contrary to what they want us to believe. It happens, but it’s very rare. Often, this happens after an accident in life, a separation, a depression, ”says Martin Rousselot, who comes
to launch a kitty to finance its maraudes.
In Eugene’s case, it was the pandemic that precipitated his downfall. He, who was following a double course in mathematics and computer science at the University of Strasbourg, hastened his return to Rennes to confine himself to the spring of 2020. “I never had a family so I had to fend for myself. Everything was closed, I had nowhere to stay”. Eugene then built a precarious shelter, which the police ended up destroying, then another, still demolished, then another, crushed again. Since April, he has been sleeping in the cold and damp on the banks of the Vilaine with his dog (and rats) for only company.
“If I’m here, it’s because I have no other solution. If the police want to destroy my shelter, then they find me accommodation. It’s a shame to see human beings living like this. I fell into oblivion and I have no one to pick me up.
He fled the Rwandan genocide in 1995 for the Netherlands, before arriving in Rennes in 2005 and working in construction, going so far as to found his own business. Holder of a residence card, he could work but not without housing. Today, his RSA is used to feed him and his dog.
At the end of December, he thought he had a nice Christmas present when he was promised an apartment for the beginning of the year. But a month later, he is still sleeping outside, without really understanding why. “I’m exhausted but I can only sleep when my body can’t keep up. I no longer have the strength, the morale, ”he testifies, his hands shaking. If he agrees to testify and to give himself up, it is to “raise public awareness”. Hoping that his story will open the doors of housing for him.