WITHOUT FIXED ADDRESS....

I keep seeing on the news images of tents being pitched along the canals in a number of French cities, including Paris. It turns out that there is a protest being staged to highlight the issue of homelessness in France, and the ridiculous cost of living here. Homeless people are known as SDF (sans domicile fixe - without fixed address) and this winter Médecins du Monde (doctors of the World) are supplying the SDF with tents to sleep in. It turns out that about 50% of the SDF are actually employed, and another 5% are students, they just cannot afford to rent an apartment.

However the red tents marked with SDF in white are not supplied by Médecins du Monde, they are part of the protest. People can sign up to stay in the camp, not only to learn about the physical challenges of staying warm or being hungry, but about the fears of being removed by police, and by meeting and talking with those who are less fortunate -- face to face. Its an interesting concept and is promoting a lot of discussion here, but will it make a difference????