the Abbé Pierre foundation awards a Pic d’Or to an “anti-homeless device” located in front of a student residence

Monday, November 18, the organization satirically rewarded an installation of imposing, more or less empty flower pots under the porch of the establishment.

The Abbé-Pierre foundation, committed to housing the most disadvantaged, organized the third edition of the Pics d'Or on Monday November 18 at the Théâtre de l'Atelier in Paris.

This ceremony, created in 2019, aims to “'reward' in a satirical manner the anti-Homeless systems which continue to multiply in France”, recalls Christophe Robert, general delegate of the Abbé Pierre foundation, in a press release.

One of the winners for this year 2024 is located in Lyon, and more precisely at 78, rue de Marseille, in the 7th arrondissement. At this address, you can see imposing flower pots, more or less empty, set up under the porch of Logifac, a student residence. If we rely on photos taken by Google Maps, it seems that these pots were installed at least ten years ago, but it has been a long time since they held any flowers in good condition.

This “anti-homeless device”, to use the foundation’s terminology, was awarded an award in the “The highlight” category of the Pics d’Or. It ironically rewards “all categories combined, the symbol of frank and crude hostility, in the eyes of the public”. The prize was awarded by Blanche Gardin, actress, humorist and godmother of the foundation.

330,000 homeless people in France

Through the Pics d'Or, the Abbé Pierre foundation intends to denounce “these inhumane systems and urge the public authorities to act”. In idea, the structure would like to see a “Homelessness: zero objective” plan implemented, facilitating, among other things, the allocation of housing as a priority to the most disadvantaged people or by ensuring a dignified welcome for migrants.

The organization nevertheless considers the collective “fight” and encourages citizens to report “anti-homeless devices” and to alert local elected officials.

According to the foundation's data, there are some 330,000 homeless people in France, including 2,200 children. A figure “which has doubled in two years” and which “risks increasing further, while rental evictions reach new records every year, the construction of housing accessible to the most modest is at its lowest and the housing sector “emergency accommodation is saturated”.