Paris City Hall has urged the State to immediately activate the Grand Froid plan amid the winter wave and the dire situation of the homeless. The Île-de-France prefecture claims to be widely mobilized to support vulnerable populations. Although the plan has not yet been triggered in the region, emergency measures are in effect.
Paris City Hall voiced urgency on Friday, December 26, 2025, citing 'numerous alerts' from patrols about homeless people 'shivering from the cold' in recent days. Temperatures in Paris have been very cold for several days and are expected to continue, per a City statement. It solemnly requests the State to activate the Grand Froid plan, which extends day shelter hours, reinforces patrols, and requisitions sites for emergency housing.
The Île-de-France prefecture, approached by AFP, states it has been mobilized since December 23 in coordination with social watch operators to intensify support for street dwellers. 'When the conditions for activating the Grand Froid plan are met in Paris, it will be immediately triggered by the regional prefect of Île-de-France, prefect of Paris,' it says. Currently, nearly 16,900 places are open every night by State services in Paris for the most vulnerable. On Thursday evening, 210 new family callers to the 115 hotline were sheltered, and over 20 patrols were deployed on Friday.
Léa Filoche, deputy to Mayor Anne Hidalgo in charge of solidarities, laments: 'The patrols have nowhere to shelter people, it's dramatic.' She denounces a 'grave disengagement by the State,' which the city is substituting for as best it can, housing over 1,400 people under State responsibility in six gyms and eight municipal buildings. The City will expand capacity from Friday evening, but this will only create a few dozen places, far short of needs. In the last Nuit de la Solidarité early 2025, over 3,500 rough sleepers were counted.
The City launched its 'Hiver plan' in early December, opening new housing spots and boosting food aid. The Île-de-France region announced on Friday the renewal of its winter plan, supporting associations with 1.25 million euros. The Grand Froid plan has been activated by other prefectures, but not in Île-de-France, which is not under yellow 'grand froid' vigilance per Météo-France.
