Roofless children, but not without rights — The power of cities to act against child housing exclusion

1️⃣ ANALYTICAL SUMMARY

An exclusion that affects invisible children, in a blind spot of local policies. The guide starts from a statistical observation: over 45,000 children are homeless in France (p.3), in a context of 350,000 homeless people (p.34) and ongoing deterioration — 2,159 children without accommodation solutions on the eve of the 2025 school year according to the barometer Children on the street (p.8). These children live on the street, in informal housing (slums, squats) or in accommodation, heterogeneous realities but all marked by residential instability. The document highlights their low statistical visibility (non-use of 115, difficulty in counting, p.13) and the cascading impact on their rights: health, education, food, family ties (p.3, p.89). Unaccompanied minors are the subject of a specific focus (p.41).

A structured directory of municipal levers, from identification to the effectiveness of rights. The guide is aimed at municipalities and intermunicipalities and first clarifies the distribution of responsibilities between State / department / municipality (p.6-7). It is organised into three chapters: enhancing knowledge, identifying and directing (ch.1); improving housing, accommodation and living conditions (ch.2); ensuring access to essential goods and services — early childhood, school, health, food (ch.3). Each issue articulates a legal framework, recommendations and action pathways illustrated by concrete municipal initiatives: social observation (Nantoscope, p.15), school mediation from DIHAL (p.26), Soliguide platform (p.32), “Montpellier Zero Slums” strategy (p.42), insertion-focused nurseries (p.76), health mediation (p.94). It concludes with recommendations for national decision-makers (p.101) and a self-assessment grid (p.108).

2️⃣ KEY POINTS OF THE DOCUMENT

1️⃣ A clarified distribution of competencies upstream of the action. The guide proposes a detailed diagram of the distribution of roles between the State, department, and local authority regarding housing, social cohesion, childhood, and health (p.6-7). It thus establishes the ridge line: the State remains the guarantor of the right to accommodation and housing, but the municipality has legitimate and sometimes mandatory local levers.

2️⃣ The identification is hindered by a documented knowledge deficit. The data from 115 is not exhaustive (non-use, mobility of individuals, difficulty in counting squats and shantytowns), which prevents an adequate response (p.13). The guide recommends local social observation and counting operations such as the "Night of Solidarity" (p.13-15).

3️⃣ The school mediation of DIHAL, a quantified system. Since 2020, the program "Support towards and in school" has enabled, in the 2023-2024 school year, the schooling of 3,704 children, of which 3,374 were supported in a personalised manner by 42 school mediators (p.26). Validated and transferable observation to remove administrative barriers to registration.

4️⃣ Taking into account the opinion of children established as a methodological principle. A dedicated focus recalls the child's right to be heard (art. 12 of the CRC) and recommends consultative approaches aimed at the children themselves, whose needs differ from those of their parents and are not always known to them (p.19).

5️⃣ An operational self-assessment grid for local authorities. The guide concludes with a tool "Is my city equipped?" which breaks down each issue into self-assessment items (the city does not manage / contributes / manages / can go further), with a space to list specific actions (p.108-111). Directly mobilisable diagnostic support.

3️⃣ ACTION PATHS FOR LOCAL ACTORS

1️⃣ Launch or strengthen local social observation targeting children. Rely on SIAO, CCAS/CIAS and associative actors to produce a detailed understanding of situations, based on the model of social needs analysis (p.13-15). Integrate the steering committees of SIAO to access field data (p.16).

2️⃣ Support outreach and identification of invisible children. Support street mediation, coordinate outreach teams and mobilise school mediation to identify and guide children and families (p.24-27). Use domiciliation as a complementary tool for census (p.22).

3️⃣ Make information accessible and tailored. Deploy or relay an orientation platform like Soliguide, translated into several languages and accessible to both beneficiaries and their supporters (p.32); adapt physical counters and orientation methods for homeless families (p.33).

4️⃣ Protect children during evacuations and expulsions. Anticipate operations, protect families during their execution and ensure immediate and continuous support afterwards (p.49-52). High-stakes issue: mere compliance with the legal framework is not enough, partnership anticipation is crucial.

5️⃣ Ensure equitable access to early childhood care and school. Direct places for integration-focused care and develop outreach solutions (mobile crèche, p.76-78); identify non-enrolled children, adapt registration, and implement a social pricing system for the canteen (p.83-87).

6️⃣ Bring children closer to care. Mobilise health mediation (whose effectiveness is documented for homeless populations) and support the establishment of dedicated services — paediatric LHSS, PASS (p.94). Necessary adaptation noted by the document : mediation cannot replace common law services nor compensate for their absence in a territory (p.94). Unmet need: the availability of paediatric care remains a prerequisite that the municipality cannot manage alone.

4️⃣ ADDITIONAL REFERENCES

Internal references — Health Practices  :

• « State of Poverty in France 2025 » — https://pratiquesensante.odoo.com/en/blog/studies-5/etat-de-la-pauvrete-en-france-2025-5402 (Dec. 2025). Direct complement on non-access and social minima.
• « Health of Children and Parenting » — https://pratiquesensante.odoo.com/blog/pratiques-15/sante-des-enfants-et-parentalite-5391 (Nov. 2025). Complement on children's participation and outreach to vulnerable families.

External references 

1️⃣ UNICEF France & Federation of Solidarity Actors — 7th barometer Children on the Streets (28 August 2025). Source of the numerical data from the guide (2,159 children without a solution, including 503 under 3 years old). Verified URL: https://www.villeamiedesenfants.fr/article/barometre-unicef-fas-2159-enfants-a-la-rue-en-2025/

2️⃣ Foundation for the Housing of the Disadvantaged (formerly Abbé Pierre Foundation) — 31st report on the state of inadequate housing in France (3 February 2026). Structural framework of homelessness (350,000 people without a home; focus on municipalities). Verified URL: https://www.fondationpourlelogement.fr/reml-2026/

3️⃣ CNAPE — From prevention to intervention: acting on precariousness to protect the child (March 2025). Additional information on the link between precariousness / child protection. Verified URL: https://www.cnape.fr/documents/de-la-prevention-a-lintervention-agir-sur-la-precarite-pour-proteger-lenfant/

5️⃣ FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)

1️⃣ How many children are affected in France, and from which source? More than 45,000 children are homeless (p.3). The barometer Children on the Streets reports 2,159 children left without accommodation solutions after a call to 115 on the eve of the 2025 school year (p.8). These figures underestimate the reality due to non-recourse (p.13).

2️⃣ Does a municipality have the right to act when accommodation is the responsibility of the State? Yes. The State remains the guarantor of the right to accommodation and housing, but municipalities have their own levers (early childhood, school, local health, optional social action). The distribution of competencies scheme details these margins (p.6-7, p.34).

3️⃣ How to identify children who fall outside the systems? By combining local social observation, counting operations ("Night of Solidarity"), registration, outreach, and partnerships with the National Education, SIAOs, and associations (p.13, p.21-27).

4️⃣ What place should be given to children's voices? The guide makes it a principle: to establish consultative processes aimed at the children themselves, under Article 12 of the CRC, as their needs differ from those of the parents (p.19).

5️⃣ What to do during a slum evacuation or an eviction? Anticipate, protect families during the operation, and ensure immediate and continuous support afterwards, beyond strict compliance with the legal framework (p.49-52). A focus also highlights the presence of unaccompanied minors in informal living spaces and the obligation to inform the prosecutor or refer to child protection (p.41).

6️⃣ How to improve access to healthcare for these children? Mobilise health mediation and support the implementation of suitable systems (paediatric LHSS, PASS), while ensuring that mediation does not replace common law (p.94). The local health contract is a useful coordination framework (p.91-92).

7️⃣ Is there a tool to locate your community? Yes: the self-assessment grid "Is my city equipped?" allows you to position yourself issue by issue and list actions already taken or to be undertaken (p.108-111).

6️⃣ REWRITING IN EASY TO READ LANGUAGE

What the document says

In France, many children do not have housing. There are more than 45,000. Some sleep in the street. Others live in slums or emergency housing.

These children have rights. They have the right to school. They have the right to care. They have the right to eat their fill.

This guide is made for cities. It explains what cities can do. The state must find housing. But the city can also help a lot.

Important ideas

• The city must first know where these children are. It is difficult because they are often invisible.
• The city can reach out to families in the street. For example, with teams that move around.
• The city can help children to go to school and see a doctor.
• It is necessary to listen to children. Children have the right to say what they need.
• The guide provides a list of questions. The city answers these questions. It sees what it does well. It sees what it can improve.

Note: FALC = Easy to Read and Understand. It is a way of writing simply, so that everyone understands.

7️⃣ CROSS-ANALYSIS — VALUES OF HEALTH PRACTICES

• Literacy : the guide recommends tailored and multilingual information (Soliguide, p.32) and the adaptation of orientation desks (p.33); it does not explicitly mobilise the FALC framework.
• Empowerment : the consideration of children's opinions under Article 12 of the CRC is presented as a lever for the effectiveness of policies (p.19).
• Participation : consultative approaches targeting children are recommended (p.19); an example of co-construction with children and families is described in Nantes regarding school meals (p.100).
• Community health : the collective dimension is addressed through local health contracts and territorial health animation (p.91-92) and through health mediation (p.94).
• Ethics : the risks associated with evacuations and expulsions are identified and framed by protective measures (p.49-52); the limit of mediation (non-substitution to common law) is clarified (p.94).
• Human rights : the entire guide is anchored in the CRC and common law (DAHO, right to education, health, food), with a principle of unconditionality and equity of reception (cross-cutting).
• Intersectorality : numerous partnerships are recommended — SIAO, CCAS/CIAS, National Education, ARS, associations, territorial food projects (p.10-11, p.98).
• Partnership : formalised models are described (technical committee “Children without homes”, child-friendly city network, partnership strategy “Montpellier Zero Slums”, p.42; diagnostics from the Trajectoires association, p.40).
• Fight against discrimination : the guide addresses exposed populations (unaccompanied minors, families in informal housing) and promotes unconditional access; however, it does not develop a systematic analysis of discriminatory mechanisms (a limit to note).

8️⃣ EVALUATION OF THE RELIABILITY OF THE RESOURCE

Scientific relevance : strong institutional source (UNICEF France) and recent and converging data (2025 barometer, figures consistent with those from the Foundation for the Housing of the Disadvantaged). Cited and verifiable legal framework (CIDE, CASF, DALO law of 5 March 2007). Major limitation to foreground : this is a guide for advocacy and practices, not an impact assessment. The “inspiring examples” are experiences that have not been evaluated according to a comparative protocol; they demonstrate feasibility, not measured effectiveness. Some contextual data comes from older surveys (e.g. count of unaccompanied minors, March 2024) and evolves rapidly.

Operational relevance : high. The structure issue → recommendation → course of action → example, the mapping of skills (p.6-7) and especially the self-assessment grid (p.108-111) make the document directly usable in the community. However, the transferability of municipal systems depends on resources and local configuration — the guide itself acknowledges this by recalling the limited competencies of municipalities regarding health and housing.

9️⃣ STRATEGIC HASHTAGS

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