Paris opens emergency homeless shelters at freezing year's end

"In the biting cold, homeless friends Danish and Sylvain walked briskly in the dark towards a hot meal distribution point, rubbing their hands together, their huge backpacks weighing down on their shoulders. "If you stop, the cold seeps into your bones. As long as we're walking, we're producing heat," said 50-year-old Danish, a Pakistani who asked to withhold his surname to avoid embarrassing his France-based family."

"The Frenchman, who also did not want to give his surname to protect his three children, said he wore six layers on his chest - a t-shirt, a jumper, a fleece, a waistcoat and two jackets. "The trick is to let air between the layers. If it's too tight, there's not much insulation," he said. He also wears tights and two pairs of socks, and he tops it all off with a beanie, a cap and a furry hat with flaps. "You lose heat through the top of your head," he said."

"Temperatures in France have dropped in recent weeks and are expected to hover around zero in many areas on New Year's Eve. Several French regions including Paris have increased shelter beds to help the homeless, but reports have already emerged of some appearing to have frozen to death. A homeless man was found lifeless in a Paris street on Sunday, likely having frozen to death, a police source said. He had been staying in a nearby shelter. On Christmas day, a 35-year-old homeless person was found dead in the northern city of Reims, a prosecutor said."

Homeless people in France face life-threatening cold as temperatures fall toward zero around New Year's Eve. Several regions, including Paris, increased shelter beds, yet some rough sleepers have already frozen to death. Two men, Danish (50) and Sylvain (52), described walking to meal distribution points, rubbing hands, carrying heavy backpacks, checking forecasts nightly, wearing multiple insulating layers and hats, and avoiding alcohol to stay aware of cold. Survivors emphasize letting air between layers for insulation and protecting the head. The Housing Foundation estimates about 350,000 people lack permanent homes, including roughly 20,000 who sleep rough.

Read at The Local France