On November 14, Secours Catholique will unveil its annual report on the state of poverty in France. For its 2024 report, beyond the contours of multiple and complex poverty, which characterizes today's exclusion, the association warns of the deterioration in the standard of living of the poorest and the difficulty in accessing social protection in the face of the dematerialization of administrative procedures. In 2023, in the Maine-et-Loire department, Secours Catholique operates thanks to a network of 965 volunteers who support 4,693 households in difficulty. These meetings contributed to the construction of this report.
Alarming figures in Maine-et-Loire
According to data from Secours Catholique de Maine-et-Loire, in the department, women are the first victims of poverty and represent 50% of the people encountered. Furthermore, we note that requests linked to administrative procedures are increasing: they represented 8% of requests expressed in 2022 and 12% in 2023. “More and more people come to meet us to be listened to, guided, advised: this represents 32% of people's requests in 2023 (compared to 18% in 2022). 33% of people welcomed are without resources”specifies Secours Catholique. The situation of foreigners remains extremely precarious. Indeed, “more than half of the foreign households encountered are without resources”. In addition, families with children are now in the majority (55%).
Requests for financial aid continue to increase
Secours catholique du Maine-et-Loire has allocated 147,000 euros in aid in 2023 to the people met by the volunteers: among the primary requests, food aid, help with paying rent and energy and mobility bills. “Access to social benefits is becoming a real obstacle course. The dematerialization of procedures, the tightening of eligibility criteria and the complexity of the processes for accessing rights accentuate exclusion. As a result, non-use of social benefits reached 36% for the RSA, an increase of 10 points compared to 2010. This situation results from a growing distance from the administration, which no longer offers sufficient support to vulnerable people. The administrative process, now entirely dematerialized, represents a series of obstacles for isolated people in difficulty. The loss of proximity to public services and the complexity of the procedures prevent many citizens from accessing the assistance they nevertheless need.he testifies. Secours Catholique therefore calls for: “Guarantee physical access within administrations for all; Intensify “go towards” systems: the France Services spaces are a good initiative but insufficient, due to lack of qualified personnel and equitable distribution throughout the territory; Simplify procedures and adapt them to individual situations; Defend a decent guaranteed minimum income. »
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