Nicolas Oppenchaim

Characteristics and health of homeless families: the ENFAMS survey in the Paris region, France 2013

BACKGROUND The objectives were to estimate the size of homeless family population in Paris region, to describe their living conditions and health and to analyse the impact of homelessness on childrens growth and development, which was never investigated in France. METHODS A cross-sectional survey was conducted on a random sample of homeless sheltered families in 2013. Families were interviewed in 17 languages and a nurse took anthropometric measures, blood samples and collected health data from child health reports. RESULTS The population size was estimated at 10 280 families. Half were single-parent female families and 94% were born outside France. Most families had experienced housing instability and 94% were living below the poverty line (828 euros/month). Malnutrition was a major problem: the prevalence of food insecurity was high (77% of parents and 69% of children), as well as anaemia (50% of mothers and 38% of children), overweight (38% of mothers and 22% of children) and obesity (32% of mothers and 4% of children). High rates of depressive disorders were found in 30% of homeless mothers and 20% of children had signs of possible mental health disorders. DISCUSSION These first results highlight the important number of families among the homeless population in Paris region. Families differed from other homeless people regarding social characteristics such as birthplace, single-parent status and residential instability that are likely to influence schooling, social ties, health and access to care. These results demonstrate the need for urgent actions targeting homeless families, in terms of reducing housing instability and providing adequate care, especially for children.

Pouvoir aller à l’école. La vulnérabilité résidentielle d’enfants vivant en hôtel social

Vivre en hotel social expose a une forte instabilite residentielle et a des demenagements dans des communes parfois refractaires a l’accueil de familles sans logement. La plupart des enfants vivant en hotel vont pourtant a l’ecole. Cet article s’interesse, a partir d’enquetes menees en Ile-de-France, aux consequences de l’instabilite residentielle sur la scolarisation de ces enfants. Leur acces a l’ecole est complique par de frequents demenagements et la longueur des trajets entre l’hotel et l’ecole. La scolarisation constitue neanmoins une ressource essentielle pour faire face aux difficultes du quotidien liees a la vulnerabilite residentielle des familles en hotel. L’ecole constitue ainsi un point fixe dans l’existence mouvementee des familles sans logement.

Homeless-ness is associated with psycho-pathologies

Background The objectives were to estimate the size of homeless family population in Paris region, to describe their living conditions and health, and to analyse the impact of homelessness on childrens growth and development. Methods In 2013, we conducted a cross-sectional survey on a random sample of homeless …

Teenagers’ Mobilities and Sense of Belonging in the Parisian Sensitive Urban Areas

This chapter aims at documenting the spatial mobility practices of teenagers who live in segregated neighbourhoods and analysing these practices in relation to the teenagers’ sense of territorial belonging. This issue is addressed through the case of the Sensitive Urban Areas (SUAs) in the Parisian region, neighbourhoods that have been targeted by French urban policy since 1996. Best known as banlieues (Wacquant, 2008), these are areas which have come to the forefront of the mass media since the 2005 riots. They are mainly located in the suburbs, but some are in the inner city.