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The streets of Lyon are witnessing an alarming surge in precariousness. According to data from the Samu Social 69, the number of homeless individuals encountered in the metropolitan area reached 3,283 in 2025-a staggering 75% increase over just five years. Among these faces, often overlooked by passersby, women suffer disproportionately. Last year, 551 women were found living on the streets, with 312 enduring the hardship in total solitude.
Estelle, 38, is one of these survivors. Her story, captured through the lens of photographer Bertrand Gaudillère, is a central feature of the new book ‘Inconditionnel Présent – le temps de la solidarité’ (Unconditional Present – The Time of Solidarity), co-published by the association Alynea-Samu Social 69 and the Item collective. Through a poignant interview, Estelle recounts eight years of struggle, aggression, and fierce resistance.
Eight Years of Survival
For Estelle, the downward spiral began not by choice, but due to an ordinary housing accident: an eviction from her apartment in Rive-de-Gier. With no safety net and no local solutions, she felt compelled to return to her hometown, Lyon. Her life on the streets began in the Perrache district, an area fraught with nightly tensions. Faced with repeated violence, Estelle was forced to seek refuge further north, eventually setting up a makeshift shelter along the banks of the Saône at Île Barbe.
“The cabin took me a month to build, day by day, night by night,” Estelle explains. Using salvaged palettes, blankets provided by the Samu Social, and tarps, she created a small, makeshift home. This structure, which she even managed to connect to electricity, became her sanctuary for years, housing her and her cat, Vérone.
The Reality of Violence
Survival in the public space is infinitely more perilous for an isolated woman. Despite the discretion of her camp, Estelle was a victim of sexual assault. Her testimony underscores the urgent warnings from Alynea social workers: male predation often forces homeless women to disappear from official radar to protect themselves, leading to a fatal non-recourse to public aid.
Now living in a shelter in Lyon’s 9th arrondissement, Estelle dreams of true independence. She advocates for concrete solutions, such as mobile shower buses to restore dignity to those on the streets. ‘Inconditionnel Présent’ serves as a powerful call to refuse indifference, reminding us that shelter requires more than just thermal measures-it demands the unconditional respect of human dignity.
Source: https://www.lyondemain.fr/estelle-sans-abri-lyon-inconditionnel-present/
