A report by Unicef France and the Federation of Solidarity Actors (FAS), a network of organisations supporting homeless and vulnerable people, said child homelessness has risen by 6 percent in a year and 30 percent since 2022, reports RFI.
On 18 August, 2,159 children – including 503 under the age of three – had no place to sleep.
The count is likely an underestimate, as it only covers children whose parents called 115, the emergency number for homeless people.
“There are all kinds of children, but what worries us most is the rising number of very young ones,” said Adeline Hazan, president of Unicef France, speaking to RFI.
“Between 500 and 600 children are under three, and that number is increasing fast, as is the number of single mothers with children.”