“I will die if this continues”: words of homeless people put to the test by the heat in Montpellier

Sofyane takes advantage of the heat to hang her laundry on the barriers. Midi Libre – Fiona Slous

The mercury reaches 30°C. The hand of the clock has not yet passed 11 am in mid-August. This high heat impacts the daily lives of the homeless deprived of associations and places to cool off. Some come together and show solidarity to survive.

“We come to the drinking water fountain on the esplanade every day”:  Chris, 47, finds about twenty homeless people like him here. After splashing his head, he straightens his iconic pink crest. Even in this heat, there is no question of lacking hygiene or style. The fountain represents their only access to fresh, drinkable water in the Écusson of Montpellier. “There used to be one in Peyrou, but it doesn't work anymore”, Chris notes.

Nobody answers the call

The rest of the year, the gang benefits from food and hygiene products, provided by the Saint-Paul center. Sofyane misses this routine: “In the morning you can get a good breakfast for ten cents, but it's just a contribution. Even if you don't have them, they'll give you something to eat. And for fifty cents, you have access to showers, with everything to wash yourself. There are even clothes to change into and razors.”

In August, many associations close due to a lack of volunteers, who have gone on vacation. “We find ourselves left to our own devices”  “We can die with our mouths open”,””We haven't eaten a hot meal, even just a meal since mid-July”, the group laughs. Sofyane, he is ready to help, to become a volunteer, if it allows them to keep going.

The Red Cross and Corus still offer breakfasts and showers. “The problem is that there is a bit of a fight between Saint-Paul and Corus so we don't go”. “There is no more tram to go to the Red Cross. With the heat and the bags, it is impossible to go up there, Boulevard Albert 1er…”

A stifling heat

Place de la Comédie. Gaëlle leans back à the front of Monoprix. His head is spinning, and nausea is taking over him. "I think I got sunstroke. I throw up everything I eat, except salads. I want to cool off, take a shower. And I can't join everyone at the fountain, I'm too tired. I can't sleep anymore because of the heat, it's stopping me from breathing. I'm scared, I think I'm going to die. If çthis continues I'm going to die".

"We stand together"

The months go by and if some disappear, Chris and Sofyane have been sticking together for months. "In the summer, there's no patrol. We're drowning in the street! So, we stand together. The street is a thug's life, you have to know how to fight, help each other. “The other day, one of them got stabbed by a drug dealer,” the two friends explained.

To survive, it’s time to organize! At the start of the afternoon, it's off to the shower and the laundry – the fountain – for everyone. The barriers of the planters become real drying racks. "At least with the heat, we can wash our things and dry them. Hygiene is super important! And the perfume isn't enough, eh Soso", sneers Chris, staring at his young friend Sofyane.

A roots vacation

"We leave for Carnon, about twenty people, with the shuttle. We do things well, at 9 a.m. we are there, we take a cooler with food. It allows you to put your worries aside, otherwise I would write Renaud. There we spend the day in the water, to cool off. My star sign is Leo, but I'm a real fish, smiles Soso.

At 5:30 p.m., the train will whistle their departure towards the Aurillac festival. Nobody knows if they will all arrive at their destination, but as they like to say "why not".

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