More than 2,300 children sleep on the street in France due to a lack of available emergency accommodation places, an increasing number which further distances the government objective of “zero children on the street”, according to a barometer published Wednesday by Unicef France and the Federation of Solidarity Actors (FAS).
“It is urgent that public decision-makers act. A political revival is vital for these children. If providing shelter for all children is not our priority, what is? », Declares Adeline Hazan, president of Unicef France.
A figure below reality
At least 2,355 children, including 514 aged under three, were left without accommodation after a call to 115, the emergency number for homeless people. The number of children without accommodation has increased by 9% compared to 2025 and by 42% since 2022, the date on which the government reaffirmed its objective of “zero children on the street”, underline the associations.
These data are not exhaustive, affirm the associations which point out that families are unable to reach 115 or give up calling it and that unaccompanied homeless minors, as well as families living in squats or shanty towns are not counted.
14 children under 4 years old died on the streets in 2025
“The consequences of homelessness on the lives and well-being of children are dramatic: deterioration of their physical and mental health, social isolation, exposure to violence, difficulties in schooling,” recall Unicef France and the FAS. According to these associations, 14 children under the age of four and 12 adolescents aged 15 to 18 died on the streets in 2025.
Unicef France and the FAS are calling in particular for a massive plan for the production of social housing. A report published in July 2025 by three general inspectorates estimated that France’s emergency accommodation program suffers from chronic underbudgeting and a management deficit which do not allow it as it stands to respond to all requests.
As the 2027 presidential election approaches, associations are calling for the fight against child homelessness to become a top priority in housing and accommodation policies.
