Immersion: a polar evening with the Samu social de Nîmes, working closely with the homeless

Un temps d’échange autour d’une boisson chaude, pour tenter malgré le froid d’apporter du réconfort. Midi Libre – C.S.

In the city of Antonins, now twice a week, volunteers go to meet them during food distributions.
 

It is sharp 7:30 p.m. this Friday evening, January 12, when the white utility truck bearing the Samu Social-Croix-Rouge-Française logo finally settles into Place Hubert-Rouger, in Nîmes.

In freezing temperatures, several dozen people – mainly men – waited here, like every Monday and Friday, in order to be able to eat.

80 beneficiaries, 5 volunteers

Under the direction that evening of Alexia, also legal manager, during the evening around 80 of them will receive hot drinks, food as well as a little comfort, from the five female volunteers mobilized for the two evening food distributions (Pablo Neruda and Feuchères sectors).

7:40 p.m. Orange vests on her back, Simone, 76 years old, is active. Diligent, the retiree from Nîmes, a volunteer at the Samu social for 3 years, generously serves bowls of simmering fish soup provided the same day by the Gard food bank.

Unaccompanied minors

"Until six months ago, these distributions took place every evening. Until our marauding raids were taken by storm by unaccompanied minors (UMAs) arriving en masse in the city. This new situation led Samu Social to modify its organization, this influx of young foreign men (sometimes more than a hundred each evening) having had the effect of effectively alienating our usual beneficiaries, says Simone.

"Today, unaccompanied minors benefit from specific food support from Samu Social via our maraudes “exploratory", continues Alexia.

"Maraudes during which it is the volunteers who go directly to meet these young people grouped together in particular in a squat to the west of the city, to provide them with water and food& quot;.

Cheese sandwich, baguette or sandwich bread

7:50 p.m. In a quiet atmosphere, the forty people present get some sustenance. Chat politely with the volunteers involved.
In turn, everyone receives one of the sandwiches (baguette or sandwich bread/cheese) made a few hours earlier at the local Red Cross headquarters by Alexia, Simone and the three other volunteers.

8 p.m. A drunk beneficiary begins to bother the five women. Aggressive, the homeless forty-year-old even tried to prevent the utility truck from leaving until the police were called.

8:10 p.m. Ten minutes late, the volunteers reached the second collection point safely in front of the station, just a few meters from the prefecture gates.

For a new distribution of food and hot drinks to, again, around forty people (read opposite).

A new and final maraude which took place –  on this freezing evening – this time without any incident.

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