The French Foundation of the Salvation Army, an international movement that has campaigned to relieve the hardship of people in difficulties for the last 120 years and that now has a worldwide membership of two and a half million, in reporting on the activities it performed in France in the winter of 2002-2003, noted “the considerable increase of people living in conditions of precariousness in the country; in particular women and whole families”. The “Winter Plan” permitted night shelter to be given to 1,950 homeless people in the period November 2002-March 2003, some of whom were also helped during the day through a service of counselling and caring. Another figure: some 1,117,000 meals were served in the hostels and rehabilitation centres run by the Salvation Army in the same period, an increase of 12.5% over the previous period. Faced by the new emergency, that has seen a worrying increase in the number of women and family units among the homeless, the Foundation has decided to reconstruct its women’s hostel (the “Palais du femme”) in Paris and equip it with accommodation suitable for these “new poor”.
