The heat and the homeless

I lost my privilege of positivity in this heat wave.  Today, the temperatures will rise to 106 in Paris, a city where most places, by far, are not air conditioned.  Those that are air conditioned may not be air conditioned very well, and some places that are air conditioned -- like the American Library -- have closed their doors -- even to their dues paying members -- for this hottest day.  The library has no sympathy for us, even if we want to use the space so that we can work on producing books that the library puts on its shelves.

The Eiffel Tower as seen from the entrance to the
École Militaire.

But in some ways, I agree that we don't need the help or sympathy.  We don't need it nearly as much as the homeless do.  The social services experts here say that summertime can be even harder for the homeless in cities like Paris than the wintertime is.

Summer heat means that keeping food fresh is more difficult for the homeless.  Even getting enough water to drink can be a challenge -- although that is far easier to do in Paris than in Marseilles, evidently.  Many of the homeless -- especially immigrants -- are carrying heavy backpacks and wearing multiple layers of clothing.  In an interview, one of them acknowledged, "I am going to stink."

So I cannot be positive when there is so much suffering out there on the streets.  Bear with me.  Here's the situation.

Paris has many services available to the homeless.  Some are offered by the government, some by non-profit organizations.  La Protection Civale, L'Armée du Salut (The Salvation Army), La Maison dans le Jardin, LÉspace Solidarité du SamuSocial, Emmaus Solidarité, Street Housing - Secours Catholique --  these are just some of the groups working to help the homeless survive the heat wave.

Some of these organizations send out groups on maraudes.  These are not marauders in the English-language sense of the word; they are not out roaming in order to plunder and steal.  Instead, they are out to give what is needed to the homeless:  bottles of water, maps that show neighborhood water fountains and spigots, information about places where food is available, etc.

Garden behind the Grand Palais.

These good marauders are volunteers.  In the summer, like so many Parisians, many of them leave the city for extended vacations.  That leaves the organizations in great need of volunteers to fill the summertime gap.

This is not a volunteer job for older people like us -- or even for many middle-aged people.  To be out in the heat of the day, breathing air with elevated levels of bad ozone is very bad for those with high blood pressure and immune system problems. (We learned that the hard way, in the heat wave of 2003.)  A better solution might be to raise money to hire and pay young people to do this important work in the summer.

While the marauders go to the people, the people come to certain centers like the one operated by SamuSocial in the 12th arrondissement.  Here, the homeless can take a shower, cool off, even see a doctor.  (The SAMU are emergency doctors and responders.) 

The President of SamuSocial, Eric Pliez, appeared on TV on Monday to denounce the poor care for the homeless in Paris.  He estimates that there are 5,000 homeless people in this city.  He points out that people are weakened by life on the streets, and so are more vulnerable during heat waves and cold spells.  (Of course, the biggest danger is during the day in a heat wave, and in the night during wintery weather.)

Homeless people in dire need of help can call 115 to request emergency shelter.  SamuSocial responds.  This week, 115 has been overwhelmed by calls.

During the hottest part of the summer, the City of Paris is leaving many parks open all through the night.  This isn't just for the benefit of the homeless; many Parisians live in small, hot, studio apartments, and they need a place to walk, sit, and cool off after dark, too.

Homeless shelters have increased the number of places available, included an additional 80 spaces in Paris, with another 110 available if needed.

As for the two of us, we're okay.  We stay cool by staying damp, with fans turned upon us, all day long.  We work, and for these two hottest days, we are not venturing out of the apartment.  We are finishing so much work that we will have more time to explore and wander in Paris when the weather cools off, beginning this weekend.

More soon . . . .