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Drug addiction and exclusion in Fort de France:
an emergency that mobilizes Samusocial
Social exclusion is a strongly increasing phenomenon in Fort de France, where the poor organization of multiple actors and the lack of collaboration have until now blocked the advancement of any coherent or efficient development.
The mobilization of samusocialFortdeFrance is focused particularly on fighting against urban exclusion and coming to the assistance of different groups of people, especially drug addicts and those who suffer from psychological problems.
The activities of samusocialFortdeFrance are concentrated on the following areas :
Approaching the homeless through medical, psychological, and social mobile aid teams
A mobile aid team comprised of a nurse, an educator, and a driver, circulate the city streets two or three nights per week in order to bring emergency assistance to people in distress and to orient them toward appropriate institutions. These nocturnal rounds will eventually be conducted on a daily basis. In addition, rounds done in the morning will be added to current activities.
The development of additional housing structures
In order to better respond to the needs of different populations encountered, samusocialFortdeFranceruns several structures that both host and house them. It currently has a daytime drop-in center, which is visited daily by approximately sixty people, as well as an emergency shelter that each evening houses 20 people, selected according to the state of their health and vulnerability. Furthermore, samusocialFortdeFranceproposes 12 spots dedicated to a more long-term (3 to 6 months) housing, for people who feel themselves ready. Additionally, it manages a housing center, open both day and night, that currently houses 14 women.
The samusocialFortdeFrance team during one of its night rounds.
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A homeless man beneath a bridge in Fort-de-France.
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The database of collected information
This database aims to strengthen the capabilities of the team for the approach, the identification, and the evaluation of people on the street. It sets the foundation for a follow-up relationship while allowing the complex problem of exclusion in Fort de France to be contemplated. The multiple faces of exclusion will thus be deeply examined through the database, whose elaboration is a key objective of samusocialInternational, working closely with samusocialFortdeFrance on this matter.
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