00:00This is like a cemetery, like a grave.
00:05It's like you're living in some oven, you know.
00:08Thousands of people live on the streets of Paris,
00:11seeking shelter under bridges and in tents.
00:14We spoke to some, though not everyone wanted to show their face.
00:18Why are authorities putting up with these camps instead of providing proper shelter?
00:23400 people, including 150 children,
00:26camped out for days in front of this Paris district town hall.
00:29Many hung their clothes and blankets soaked by summer thunderstorms in the park behind it.
00:35We don't have access to showers or bathrooms.
00:38There are toilets in the park, but they're clearly not enough.
00:43It's tough for a woman to go relieve herself alone.
00:46You must go in groups, otherwise you might get assaulted or raped.
00:51Despite heat, rain and violence,
00:54many people still lived here by the highway in southern Paris in mid-July.
00:58This is the parking lot of the social emergency service Samus Sociale,
01:03an organization meant to help people find shelter.
01:06But early in the summer, authorities made that harder,
01:10slashing 850 such accommodations every day.
01:15Staff members allowed people to set up camp here
01:18as a gesture of solidarity.
01:22Tents everywhere.
01:25Adam knows what it's like to live on the streets.
01:28He and his mother came to Paris from North Africa nearly six years ago.
01:32They were recently living in a hotel room provided by the government
01:35that they say was in poor condition.
01:39On our first day, my mother had to get all the bedbugs out of the bed.
01:44They ended up having to leave and wound up on the streets,
01:48with serious consequences for both mother and son.
01:53I've been living on the street with my son since the 6th of July.
01:57Someone stole my phone, another my money, another tried to rape me.
02:04Even when facing a crisis, many can't find shelter.
02:10They threw us out after four days.
02:13I'm five months pregnant.
02:15The other day an ambulance had to take me to the hospital.
02:19I had collapsed from the heat.
02:24Aid workers say the situation is getting worse and worse.
02:31When we made our rounds ten years ago,
02:33we hardly ever saw women, children or families.
02:36Now it's becoming common.
02:38Ask anyone in social services.
02:40Babies, pregnant women, people with advanced cancer.
02:43You didn't used to see that on the streets.
02:46Doctors provide basic medical care here at the camp,
02:49treating dehydration, exhaustion, infectious diseases or chronic conditions.
02:54They work for a French NGO that normally focuses on international crisis zones.
03:00We call it the vicious cycle of these camps.
03:03People's health deteriorates.
03:05Their social situation gets worse and their integration into society is disrupted.
03:11Another camp lies beneath Metro Line 2 in northern Paris.
03:15It's been around off and on for over a decade.
03:18Authorities have allowed the camp to remain.
03:21Hundreds of men live here under highly precarious conditions.
03:24When temperatures shoot up to over 40 degrees Celsius,
03:27the tents turn into ovens.
03:29We like fill one of these bottles and bring us with us.
03:34It's going to get like boiling.
03:36So you need to cool down to drink a normal water, not boiling water.
03:41So it was difficult.
03:43This is like a cemetery, like a grave.
03:47Sorry, sometimes it feels like a grave.
03:50This is where people's lives end.
03:52It's no good here.
03:55The city of Paris funds more than 2,000 shelter beds.
03:59But Ophélie Madinier, chair of the city's social affairs committee,
04:03says it's not nearly enough.
04:07In early 2026, we counted 4,000 people living on the streets in Paris.
04:12The government is responsible for protecting everyone
04:15and housing anyone living on the streets in France.
04:18But it's simply not living up to its obligations.
04:24In mid-August, authorities cleared the camp in southern Paris,
04:28temporarily evacuating its residents to somewhere outside the city.
04:32I don't know what to do.
04:35My son has got to go to school.
04:39After being evacuated,
04:40Mira and her son Adam were moved to a Paris suburb for a week.
04:44After that, they had to fend for themselves once again.
04:47Their only option was the new camp outside the town hall.
04:51Sometimes I get migraines.
04:52Sometimes it hurts around my eye.
04:55Painkillers help make the pain go away.
04:59The weather, meanwhile, made things worse.
05:02After the third downpour in a week,
05:04camp residents were facing another night in soaking conditions.
05:08There are young children here, even babies just a few months old.
05:12Sleeping in the rain in wet blankets and clothes is extremely dangerous.
05:16The same goes for sick people.
05:18We're doing what we can.
05:20We opened eight gymnasiums throughout Paris
05:22and are sheltering 2,600 people.
05:25If we can't find a solution for the people here in central Paris,
05:28we plan to open more.
05:31The next morning, authorities cleared the camp in front of the town hall,
05:35putting most of the people in gymnasiums,
05:37including Adam and his mother.
05:40Several cities, such as Strasbourg,
05:42have already sued the French government
05:43over its treatment of homeless people.
05:46The city of Paris is considering taking legal action as well.
05:52The city of Paris
