Paris

“Pierre”

49 years old.

“I just want to be left alone.”

6 years ago his wife passed away, so Pierre sold everything he had in order to offer her the farewell she deserved.

“It was the right thing to do. To say goodbye in the most respectful and dignified manner I possibly could. She had given me the 3 most precious gifts a man could ever receive:  her undying, unconditional, sincere love and devotion to me, and our two children.” 

Having sold all his assets, he had nothing left, fell into a deep depression, started drinking and ended up on the street almost instantly.

Martial

60 years old

“No one wants to hire an old person”

“My story is simple, nothing complicated: I lost my job. Already at the time, fifteen years ago, I was too old and I was unable to find work. Next to all these twenty-year-olds, I had no chance.  After that, the fall is almost instant.”

Martial has been homeless for fifteen years. Once on the street, finding a job becomes impossible. Today, at the age of 60, he has given up on everything. He has no family. Never had children because he never felt ready for the responsibility that comes with being a parent.

Lilliana

41 years old

“I would like to look for a job but I don’t know how to go about it.”

Liliana is of Romani origin, from Bulgaria. She came to France six months ago by bus. She has no family, having come alone, but due to the large community of Romani in Paris she has a new family. “There are so many Romani people here in Paris, I feel right at home.”

Helmut

59 years old

“It’s my choice, this is what I want”

Herman is of German origin. He is divorced and has a son. Having obtained several degrees, his two main professions in the past were that of mechanic and slater. Today he is a street artist, painting and drawing on the streets of Paris. A year and a half ago he decided to sell his studio and apartment to buy a caravan, in which he’s been living since. It’s a mode of life he is very content with; without difficulties, but to the contrary, evoking a sensation of freedom.

Laure

19 years old

“We’re all human beings. It’s extremely rare that you hear of a homeless person committing serious crimes: theft, physical attack, rape or whatever it may be. It’s often also the reason to why a person becomes homeless, because they refuse to walk down that path. If we say hello to you, the least you can do is smile or respond — we’re not evil and we don’t deserve to be treated like we’re invisible.”

The daughter of an alcoholic mother, Laure spent her childhood in 21 foster homes

. At the age of 18 she found a non-declared waitress job. When they let her go, not being able to pay rent, she was thrown out despite the fact that the apartment belonged to an association. Laure called out to her friends on Facebook to find a place to sleep until she got back on her feet, but she was left stranded.

Florin

32 years old

“In Romania, there is nothing, no future.”

The difference between Romania and France is that in Romania people appreciate art and are more likely to be generous with their money when the beggar in question draws, sings and otherwise earns his or her worth.

In France, on the other hand, people are more generous if the person does nothing. Florin conducted his own experiment himself. He found that when sleeping or just holding his hand out to beg, he receives more money than he does when drawing or from selling his artwork. Florin finds this contradictive mentality to be perplexing.

Jean-Paul

55 years old

“You must never look back but always ahead. Crying over the past is useless, try to stay hopeful and be happy instead.” Jean-Paul is former military. Twelve years ago he took a bullet to the knee during while serving in Libya and since then he has been receiving a pension of €1800 per month for his disability. As of now, he has been on the street for ten years. Despite his income, he has not been able to find accommodation since most landlords do not accept unemployed tenants.

Arthur

41 years old

“I tried looking for work here in France, but no one wants to give me a chance.”

Arthur comes from Poland. Poverty drove him out of Poland and towards Great Britain, where he tried to create a better life for himself. He is a stonemason. In England he had a job, a home, a girlfriend – a “normal life.” Due to an incident six months ago during which he was expelled and banned from the UK for two years, Arthur has been living on the streets of Paris, waiting for the two-year ban to expire.

Ali

40 years old

“Life gives us three options; be a blind sheep, try to create your own path or give up. That homeless guy you see on the metro, with a bottle in his hand, he’s just a man who has given up. He doesn’t even have the strength to stay clean. It’s just a guy who is waiting for death, nothing else. Personally I’d prefer to die standing up than live kneeling down.”

Law graduate and former manager at Leroy Merlin on a salary of 3700€/month, Ali became homeless after his divorce. Ali’s situation came about somewhat by choice. Following his divorce he decided to leave his apartment and belongings to his ex-wife and son, allowing them to stay in Paris and affording him the opportunity to continue seeing his child.

“We only learn in fear. When you find yourself on the street without any distractions, like money, TV, or anything else, the only thing you have left is yourself. It’s like looking in the mirror naked. You need to take a look at what you have and work out what you can do with it. A complete searching of the soul”.

Constantin

70 years old

“I’d rather live on the streets of Paris than return to Romania”

Constantin receives no pension from Romania, despite having worked there as a driver in the agricultural sector for 38 years. It’s for this reason that he chose to come and try his luck on the streets of Paris. Having no family, Constantin arrived in France three months ago and hopes to stay for as long as possible. To survive, Constantin begs for money.