A Powerful Look Inside… The Salvation Army Foundation in France

The Salvation Army in France was founded in 1881 when Catherine Booth crossed the Channel from The UK to France. Between 1914 and 1918, the Salvation Army set up “Foyers du soldat” to help the soldiers, widows and orphans of the First World War. It then expanded its activities in the two decades following the Great War, notably under the impetus of the couple Albin and Blanche Peyron. Several major Salvation Army establishments were built from the 1920s to the 1930s, including the Palais de la Femme, the Cité de Refuge, Le Palais du Peuple and the Résidence Catherine Booth.

Every evening, the Salvation Army Foundation’s services in France accommodate around 9,000 people – singles, couples and families – with the aim of ensuring that their reception/sheltering can lead to a long-term path towards integration or reintegration, thanks to comprehensive social support (health, access to rights, in particular to housing and employment, according to each person’s life project). On a day-to-day basis, the Salvation Army Foundation also provides accommodation and support for thousands of young people in difficulty, people with disabilities and dependent elderly people in France, in medical and social services adapted to their vulnerabilities. Today, through more than 240 establishments and services in France, it fights against social exclusion, exclusion linked to disability or old age, and for the integration of young people into society, thanks to the action of 2,800 employees and some 5,700 volunteers.

KB: When and by who was The Salvation Army in France founded?

Shocked by the disgraceful living conditions of the working class, particularly in East London, in 1865 Pastor William Booth created what was to become the Salvation Army, to meet the material and spiritual needs of women, men and children living in appalling conditions of distress. In his quest for efficiency, the pastor drew inspiration from the military model to structure an “army” with a triple mission around his motto “Soup, Soap, Salvation!”.

Sixteen years later, in 1881, Catherine Booth, the pastor’s daughter, crossed the Channel to bring the Salvation Army’s mission to France. Between 1914 and 1918, the Salvation Army set up “Foyers du soldat” to help the soldiers, widows and orphans of the First World War. It then expanded its activities in the two decades following the Great War, notably under the impetus of the couple Albin and Blanche Peyron. Several major Salvation Army establishments were built from the 1920s to the 1930s, including the Palais de la Femme, the Cité de Refuge, Le Palais du Peuple and the Résidence Catherine Booth.

In 1930, the Salvation Army was recognized as a charitable organization and could begin to receive donations and bequests and allocate them to its ongoing projects, the year in which the first ‘Soupes de nuit’ began to be distributed in Paris. The Salvation Army was dissolved during the Second World War by the Vichy authorities, but continued its work under cover of the Protestant Federation until the Liberation. After the Second World War, the Salvation Army relaunched its activities, particularly for young people. Partnerships with public authorities and social players were also formed.

A founding member of the Banque Alimentaire in 1984, the Salvation Army has since been involved in the fight against exclusion, organizing and managing emergency shelters and creating social housing. In 1994, the association that had become the Salvation Army, responsible for managing its social action, adopted new statutes and in 2000 became the Fondation de l’Armée du Salut, recognized as being of public utility. Today, through more than 240 establishments and services in France, it fights against social exclusion, exclusion linked to disability or old age, and for the integration of young people into society, thanks to the action of 2,800 employees and some 5,700 volunteers.

KB: How many homeless people does your organization welcome each evening?

On a day-to-day basis, the Salvation Army Foundation also provides accommodation and support for thousands of young people in difficulty, people with disabilities and dependent elderly people in France, in medical and social services adapted to their vulnerabilities.

Generally speaking, the Salvation Army Foundation operates in France mainly in the fields of social and medico-social action, protection and support for children and teenagers, care, disability and dependency, and food aid. It operates more than 225 social and medico-social structures and services in 32 départements and 12 regions.

Spiritual accompaniment is part of the overall social support that the Salvation Army is committed to offering – through times of presence, listening and sharing – to the people it accompanies. Those who wish to take part are free to do so. To nourish their quest for meaning, while respecting their beliefs or non-beliefs. Periods of hospitalization or death are times when this accompaniment is often requested.

KB: How long can homeless people stay in your shelters?

Unconditional welcome is one of the five values embodied in the Salvation Army Foundation’s project, and the law in France defines that no “return to the street” of a person accommodated and supported can take place without the possibility of referral.

In this context, the question of time is crucial and singular to the integration/reintegration journey of each person we welcome: no individual situation is comparable, and our support work strives to respond appropriately to each situation. A certain amount of time, even a very long time, is sometimes necessary and applied to support people properly.

In the case of stabilization shelters and social reintegration centers (CHRS), people (most of whom are referred by the 115) are taken in and supported for varying lengths of time, from a few months to several years, depending on their situation, until they are “successfully discharged” into permanent housing.

KB: Do you provide food and clothing for the homeless?

In addition to the above-mentioned accommodation services, the Salvation Army Foundation provides material assistance to other thousands of people living on the streets (or temporarily housed in hotels) for their basic material needs (food, clothing, etc.).

The inadequate incomes of millions of people in France, exacerbated by the Covid crisis in 2020 and high inflation since 2022, have put a particular strain on their food budgets. Over the past few years, the Salvation Army Foundation has created a number of new coordinated initiatives to help people cope with this situation: shared kitchens, street food distribution, mobile food trucks, etc.). You can find out more about some of them on a page dedicated to food aid on the Salvation Army Foundation website.

KB: Are they just homeless, or are there also mothers and children fleeing domestic violence?

The diversity of homeless people living in France is as great as that of the general population. However, we can point to the systemic effects of social inequalities and the social relations of gender and race: the precariousness of women living alone or with their child(ren), and that of people living in exile, is often even more radical.

The Salvation Army Foundation strives to help these women and their children with specific dedicated services. These include day shelters for migrant women in Paris; emergency accommodation for women in Paris, Marseille (such as the LOU RECATE shelter opened this winter) and Nîmes; and accommodation for foreign minors and young adults.

KB: What’s the main reason why people become homeless?

The causes of homelessness are multifactorial and complex. Some people find themselves homeless due to unforeseen circumstances such as the sudden loss of a job, mental or physical health problems, family abuse or natural disasters.

Others may be victims of discrimination, marginalization or violence, pushing them out of their homes. Structural factors such as lack of affordable housing, economic inequality and limited access to social services also contribute to homelessness.

The combination of these individual and systemic factors creates a vicious circle that is hard to break for many people, keeping them in a situation of chronic homelessness.

In France, according to data from the Ministry of Housing and Sustainable Habitat, in 2020, around 250,000 people were homeless or in a situation of great precariousness. However, this figure can vary according to the definitions used and the census methods. In addition, it is important to note that these figures do not always capture the complex reality of homelessness, particularly with regard to temporarily housed people or those living in unstable housing conditions.

KB: What can a country and its people do to keep people off the streets?

Changing society, but that’s complex… Changing and acting every day at the level of governing bodies so that more housing is available? Because a roof over your head is essential if you are to find shelter and continue to rebuild your life. Change so that education and training provide even greater opportunities for all? Because more than ever, training is a priority. And change at our level to ensure that tolerance and fraternity remain true social values? It may not seem like much, but it could be a lot.

At the level of the Salvation Army Foundation, this means relentlessly implementing the values and ambitions of our founding project “Help, support, rebuild”. By serving each person in a vulnerable situation, and social cohesion as a whole, in a spirit of solidarity and cooperation, both vigilant and benevolent.

Everyone can help! For example, by joining an organization like the Salvation Army and working there, or by becoming a volunteer and carrying out regular or one-off missions. At both levels, The Salvation Army regularly recruits staff and volunteers in the countries where it is present.

To find out more about The Salvation Army Foundation: HERE

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