Covid-19: the Secours populaire warns of the explosion of precariousness in France!

The association published its latest barometer on Wednesday, which bears witness to the ravages of the health crisis in French households. Among the people who applied for food aid during confinement, nearly one in two applicants made the request for the first time. "An absolutely huge number." The Secours populaire is sounding the alarm. During the two months of confinement, nearly 1.3 million people sought help from the association in its hotlines, compared to 3.3 million during the previous year. An alarming observation which is likely to worsen in the face of a still very active circulation of the virus, bringing in its wake economic difficulties and unemployment.   

45% NEW APPLICANTS  

Association members warn of an unprecedented increase in poverty. One of the most worrying figures from the latest Secours Populaire barometer is the number of new applicants for food aid. Nearly 45% of strangers requested the association. “We have never experienced such a situation since the Second World War, and there is an emergency (…), not only do they no longer have enough to eat, but they can no longer pay their rent or electricity” , explains Henriette Steinberg for “Ouest-France”. 

EDUCATIONAL INEQUALITIES ARE WIDENING  

The health crisis has also had a strong impact on education. The association points out that 500,000 children have been victims of school dropouts . In question, the lack of computer equipment and sometimes difficult access to the Internet to follow the courses optimally from home. A situation complicated by often cramped accommodation, which does not allow students to study in a calm environment.