A/HRC/43/43/Add.2 accommodation has been secured and agreed upon by the residents. 40 National legislation on eviction must ensure protection from forced evictions in accordance with international human rights law. IV. Groups at risk of discrimination and social exclusion A. Persons living in homelessness 54. According to the most recent official data, homelessness increased by 58 per cent from 2001 to 2012 (93,000 to 141,500 persons), with the number of children living in homelessness increasing by 85 per cent.41 A further rise is expected in the upcoming 2020 census. More than one person living on the street dies every day. 42 The Government expressed concern to the Special Rapporteur regarding this alarming statistic. 55. France has adopted a national plan to combat homelessness – the Five-year Plan for Housing First and the Fight against Homelessness (2018–2022) – with the following objectives: increase affordable housing units by 40,000 yearly; establish 10,000 additional housing units for persons living in homelessness, under the management of social welfare organizations and adapted to the needs of families, isolated persons or persons requiring therapeutic support; collect better data in order to understand the needs of persons living in homelessness; and provide long-term housing to persons living in homelessness. 43 56. In its review of the plan, the High-level Committee on Housing of Disadvantaged Persons recommends that in order to significantly reduce homelessness, the following measures must also be included: providing effective and unconditional access to emergency accommodation for all persons in need, addressing the backlog of persons requiring rehousing under the act establishing the enforceable right to housing, and ensuring sufficient financial resources and qualified personnel to provide the necessary social, medical, psychological and legal support to implement the plan.44 57. France has increased the annual budget devoted to emergency shelters from 305 million euros in 2012 to 820 million euros in 2017, and has significantly increased investment in housing with social support. In total, more than 2 billion euros were included in the 2018 national budget for combating homelessness.45 58. While the Special Rapporteur commends the Government for its efforts, she is concerned that the plan fails to meaningfully address the systemic causes of homelessness and inadequate housing, as will be necessary to prevent and eliminate homelessness. 59. The French shelter system is guided by the principle of unconditional, universal access to shelter for any person who is homeless and experiencing a medical, mental health or social emergency. The point of entry to the system is to call the emergency hotline, 115. Since 1997, those seeking information regarding services, emergency accommodation and day centres, as well as health care, food and showers, can call 115, toll free, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 365 days a year. 60. Today, the 115 service is overwhelmed by the increasing demand, despite the Government doubling the number of emergency accommodation spaces in a five-year period from 75,347 in 2012 to 136,889 in 2017. During the winter of 2016/17, only half of requests for emergency accommodation were met. In Paris, 64 per cent of requests were not met, including half of the total requests placed by families. 46 In Toulouse, the Special Rapporteur 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 See Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, general comment No. 4 (1991) on the right to adequate housing and general comment No. 7. Bénédicte Mordier, “Introduction de cadrage: les sans-domicile en France – caractéristiques et principales évolutions entre 2001 et 2012”, Economie et Statistique, No. 488–489 (September 2016). See Collectif les Morts de la Rue, “Mortalité des personnes sans-domicile 2018”, October 2019. See www.gouvernement.fr/sites/default/files/contenu/piece-jointe/2018/07/plan_lda_vf.pdf. See High-level Committee on Housing of Disadvantaged Persons, 5 conditions nécessaires à la mise en œuvre du « Logement d’abord » (Paris, 2018). Five-year Plan, p. 7. Fédération des acteurs de la solidarité, “Baromètre du 115 et enquête flash maraudes/Samu sociaux – synthèse hivernale 2016–2017”, 29 December 2017, p. 7. 11