A French homeless shelter adapts quickly, but not adequately to virus lockdown
Social workers handling precarious populations have been forced to adapt quickly, often with little guidance and resources, to the challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic. A receptionist at a reception centre in Normandy recounts his stressful days shortly after France went into a nationwide lockdown last month.
"We had to take drastic measures," explains Erwan* – a social worker, who prefers to remain anonymous – working in a shelter in France’s northern Normandy region. The emergency shelter provides homeless families with a warm place to spend the night, but these days, the coronavirus epidemic has forced Erwan and his colleagues to review and adapt their way of working.