In Draguignan, the mayor launches a commission of elected officials dedicated to the issue of the homeless

No one can ignore the permanent presence of homeless people in Draguignan's city center. Whether on Boulevard Clemenceau, near the theater and the supermarket; around the tourist office, and at the Louis-Go parking lot, next to the Maison des Sports et de la Jeunesse; at the intersection of Boulevard Foch and Rue Jean-Aicard, near the grocery store; or on Rue des Endronnes.

These people, facing significant social and sometimes psychological insecurity, wander around all day, often drunk, sometimes accompanied by dogs. They approach passersby in the hope of gleaning a few coins, often aggressively if they are refused. All of this creates a pervasive sense of insecurity, which is heightened somewhat at night in the Dracénois city center.

Territorial inequity denounced

A problem that is not new. Far from it (read opposite). However, during the last municipal council meeting, Richard Strambio, in a free speech, once the agenda had been reviewed, declared: "I want to create a commission open to everyone on the great unacceptable problem of the homeless. I have been patient with the associations delegated to this great problem. There are also psychiatric problems, internment is closed. We are obliged to send people to Pierrefeu or Fréjus Saint-Raphaël when there is space."

And he continued: "We have people who are very homeless, and it is absolutely not within the municipality's prerogatives to manage them." And he expressed his indignation: "I don't understand the territorial inequity. That is to say, in seaside towns, there are few or no people without stable accommodation. We have the impression that we are suddenly the target in the hinterland because there are people who are making real estate investments on human misery or associations that are not doing their job." The chief magistrate also announced that he will speak with the new prefect of Var, Simon Babre. "Because these are human beings, people in pain, there are addictions, trafficking, slum landlords. And it is not up to us to bear the full legal and financial consequences."

The State pointed out

The mayor also denounced the associations responsible for supporting these people. "It's all well and good to accuse our municipal or national police of doing nothing. But what are the services of these state-delegated associations doing? I see things closed at 7 p.m.." The mayor also took the opportunity to attack, without naming him, Philippe Schreck, MP (National Rally) for the 8th constituency of Var, also a municipal councilor from Draguignan, whose presence at council meetings is rare. "To those who post things on social media saying it's this and that, I tell them that they just have to work and submit interesting things to the National Assembly. We are the ones on the ground."

Define the support for this public, without stigmatizing

"This is absolutely not about stigmatizing a segment of the population that is particularly vulnerable," insisted Alain Hainaut, deputy delegate for social affairs during the same session. "The care of people without stable housing is an obligation, a competence of the State. And, as usual, when the State does not take care of it, it delegates it to municipalities or associations, without giving them the means," denounced the elected official.

Avaf again singled out

"So, there is still a caveat to be made because there is an association, the Avaf, not to name it, which is largely subsidized by state services, precisely, whose goal is to take care of this vulnerable public. But which can exclude people at the slightest problem as its internal regulations allow," reported Alain Hainaut. "And we find ourselves with these people wandering around and creating a feeling of insecurity, even real insecurity." Elected officials denounce the stance of certain associations. They see state subsidies as a godsend: "They set up, then do nothing afterward."

Richard Strambio had already pointed the finger at the structure in January 2025. Asked about its missions, Julien Coclet, general director of Avaf , replied: "No. I don't know what the mayor is referring to, but we don't have a mediator. This task falls to the outreach service, to the CCAS. We are a link in the chain, starting with daytime reception on a voluntary basis, with a dual objective of housing and integration, and returning to employment with workshops. We have a fairly broad societal project."

The CCAS at the forefront?

And to make a surprising proposal. "In our view, the Communal Social Action Center (CCAS) is capable of bringing about an attempt at reform. That is to say, we, with the resources that the State provides to this association, will do things better," said Alain Hainaut. "We also know the street mediators who can also reduce the pressure." The State still needs to agree to allocate sufficient financial and human resources on a sustainable basis.

"If it's to tell us to do it, to subsidize us for two years, and then leave us to fend for ourselves, that's not acceptable." Bernard Bonnabel, the elected official responsible for health issues, reiterated the need to reinstate a genuine psychiatric service in the region. A complex issue. The commission, for its part, has already begun its work. A first meeting was held on June 26. It appears that this meeting did not keep its promises (see below).

A first meeting without much progress

At the municipal council meeting, Jean-Bernard Miglioli and the elected officials of his opposition group had "accepted the invitation." "It's a reality. I was with my family and my dog, a homeless person who couldn't buy a beer at Spar asked us to do it for him. My son refused. He then insulted us," the elected official recounted his own experience. "There are hundreds of testimonies like this in Draguignan at the moment. And I am fully aware that responsibility is collective. It cannot come only from the police, the municipality, the mayor of Draguignan and the municipal council," he said. "The State must listen to these realities." At the end of the first meeting of the committee in question, the opposition elected officials emerged circumspect.

"During the commission, we reaffirmed what was mentioned during the municipal council," summarized Alain Hainaut, deputy delegate for social affairs. "The State and AVAF must assume their responsibilities," he insisted. "Apart from intervening to restore public order, we can do nothing more until the underlying problem is addressed."

"Quite honestly, we are leaving this meeting with a sense of anticipation, not really knowing what will be done or what is feasible," said Jean-Bernard Miglioli. The opposition representatives sent a letter to the mayor. "We propose organizing a meeting with the Avaf and the municipality, but also with the sub-prefect," he reported. "The objective of this meeting would be to be able, together, to concretely analyze the difficulties encountered by the Avaf in carrying out its missions [...] and the local obstacles that could hinder its action," the letter states.

Philippe Schreck does not wish to participate

On June 26, nine days after the municipal council in question, which he did not attend, Philippe Schreck , National Rally (RN) MP for the 8th constituency of Var, and opposition municipal councillor, reacted on social media.

"The mayor of Draguignan has just surprisingly summoned us to discuss the issue of homeless people. I'm surprised, because at cocktail parties, we're told that there's no problem with insecurity, that everything's fine, no problem with incivility, and that the people of Draguignan who are complaining are necessarily wrong," he declared in a Facebook video, adding screenshots of posts or articles about attacks or inconveniences caused by the SDS in Draguignan. "In truth, the story is a bit thick just a few months before the elections; after almost twelve or thirteen years, we're seeing the difficulties... So, naturally, I won't be participating in this round table on insecurity, on the homeless. I think there will be elections for this, and it's not six months before those elections that we're trying to open files for the first time," he said. "Of course, I am at your disposal," he concluded without making any suggestions.