In its 21st annual report, the Abbé Pierre Foundation highlights the health problems related to poor housing in France.
“France is sick of inadequate housing,” calls the Abbé Pierre Foundation on Wednesday in its annual report that compiles dozens of studies on this topic. “Fuel poverty, unsanitary conditions, the indignity of housing or lack of personal home have very serious consequences on the health of thousands of people,” denounces the foundation, which had already aware the Public opinion on the subject, during a campaign in 2007. Ten years later, the symptoms of inadequate housing (see graphics below) are always the same: allergies, bronchitis, respiratory disorders, depression, stress, etc. .
The low life expectancy of the homeless
The homeless are the hardest hit. An indicator measures the: their average life expectancy is 49 years, when that of the general population rises to 77 years, recalls the FAP, citing the Collective of Rue Dead which gave these fine figures 2015: nearly 500 SDF died in 2014, half due to illness. Besides the respiratory, digestive and skin diseases, mental health disorders are extremely common among the homeless. A survey conducted in 2009 in Île-de-France showed that nearly a third of homeless people was hit by a severe psychiatric disorder that homeless and five showed a dependence on alcohol and drugs.
To this is added the difficulties of access to care. Oversights or waivers of fees, undergo treatment becomes particularly difficult when one is homeless. “How can you keep the insulin when you have diabetes and you’re on the street?” Asks a Lille Samu social professional. Other factors may dissuade homeless people to get help. “I have the example of a man who (…) was ashamed to show his feet. When you have not been able to take a shower, have to undress, it’s difficult, “says the doctor. In general, people on the streets are often in denial. “As if they were detached from their bodily envelope,” says an associative charge. “We are shocked to sores or corruptions. They do not even feel the most. ”
Resurgence of epidemics in the slums
In France, there are 582 slums and squatter settlements occupied by 17,929 people, including about 4,000 children, according to the latest report of Dihal (Interministerial Delegation accommodation and access to housing), service attached to Matignon. In these makeshift camps, field workers note the resurgence of epidemics such as tuberculosis, or the emergence of diseases such as Shigella, similar to those found in refugee camps, underlines the FAP. Neonatal mortality is eight times higher than the French average and infant mortality five times higher. Life expectancy there be between 50 and 60 years. In question? The absence of heating, no water, waste treatment and health of the bulk occupied land.
A substandard housing, rue du Faubourg du Temple in Paris Photo Credits: OLIVIER LABAN-MATTEI / AFP
The inadequate housing, source of many diseases
Moisture, mold on the walls … A substandard housing can cause poisoning, allergies and respiratory disorders, says the foundation. Children are the first affected. Doctors A study conducted in the world in the Val-de-Marne revealed among the little ones, the existence of rhinitis, sore throat, ear infections, eczema, asthma and sleep disorders. The absence or lack of heating reinforces these diseases: a family exposed to fuel poverty is twice as affected by chronic bronchitis and four times, for asthma attacks than a conventional household.
To avoid the cold, some buy the radiators, “with the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning,” says the foundation. The smallness of the housing can also have consequences for the little ones. “A family with two young children, a baby and a two year old, occupied a studio. The smallness of housing has consistently led the mother to leave the eldest in bed to prevent it hurts the baby. Not distinguishing between night and day, this child knew sleep disorders, “says the foundation’s report of nearly 400 pages. Sometimes the habitat conditions even prevent access to care. This is the case of this young girl of 18, interrogated by the Social Research Foundation in 2012. Suffering from heart failure, she was denied a transplant “because of its housing conditions not suited to care necessary result “.
When health problems create housing problems
In contrast, health problems can exacerbate problems of access to housing. And even after a long illness, wanting to access the property by taking out a bank loan can be a real headache. “Discrimination (…) due to disability or because of health status are far from being anecdotal,” notes the FAP. Of all the complaints filed with the Housing Rights Defender since 2005, 21% fall within these reasons, still remember the foundation. The appearance of a disease can also lead to loss of housing. Sometimes refund devices do not provide fast enough compensation. Debts accumulate, threatening expulsion household.
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