Emergency accommodation: in Sète, why is the room reserved for the homeless not open continuously during the winter ?

Les lits de la salle Marquès sont accessibles aux personnes dans le besoin. – Archive Midi Libre

La salle Marquès est mise à disposition par la Ville de Sète, rue Pierre-Sémard. Mais son ouverture n’est déclenchée que sur demande.

How many people spent the night outside on the night of December 31 to January 1 in Sète ? It is difficult to provide a clear answer to this question. One thing is certain, and as the cold sets in, the needs on the unique island are increasing during this winter period. This Wednesday morning, Operation Sakado will bring a little comfort to those living in an extremely precarious situation. But this will not resolve the issue of emergency accommodation.

A dozen emergency beds

In Sète, the municipality is making the Marquès hall available on rue Pierre-Sémard to accommodate homeless people. This heated space, equipped with blankets, linens, toilets, two showers and even a baby bed, allows immediate shelter. The room has even been renovated to accommodate around ten beds in good conditions. A space that is however only open “on request”, specifies Jocelyne Gizardin, the municipal assistant for social action.

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This system complements Solidarité urgence sétoise (SUS), whose fifty or so emergency accommodation places are being stormed during this period. The occupancy rate is 100%. The association also organizes weekly patrols to help the homeless. It also provides some of the food aid in the city, in collaboration with other structures.

SUS full and calls to 115 without response

While the SUS is therefore fully booked, in December the municipal opposition, through Laura Seguin, relayed the latest inventory of the actors of social monitoring in the Bassin de Thau, according to which 115 (emergency number which helps homeless people and those in great social difficulty) receives 400 calls per day on average. “468 different people called 115 in 2024, 61 different people were accommodated. That makes 87% of people without a positive response to their accommodation request.”

“It's hard to understand”

Faced with this observation, a collective of eight Sète associations defending the right to housing is also protesting against the a priori closure of the Marquès hall. “The hall is ready but stubbornly closed, when 80% of calls to 115 remain unresolved, points the finger Janine Léger, for the association Droit au Logement (DAL). It is difficult to understand and I do not know how to justify this refusal to people who wish to stop sleeping on the streets.”

“We must be careful with public money”

“If we are informed that there is a need for emergency shelter by the SUS, the municipal police or another structure, we open it, assures Jocelyne Gizardin. But financially, we do not have the means to open the Marquès room a priori. That would mobilize two agents to pay, sometimes for nothing! I remind you that we must be careful with public money.”

“From more, points out the elected official, you should know that 115 does not direct people to the Marquès hall. It relies on systems to supervise and maintain contact. It distributes places in nearby structures. Knowing that some people refuse emergency accommodation for reasons of their own. Sheltering for an evening is good, but it is not enough. The goal of social services is to do everything but a “one-shot”.”

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