In Rosny-sous-Bois and Tarbes, agents at Family Allowance Funds (CAF) handle tough situations amid rising precarity. Users, often hit by the digital divide, struggle with online procedures. A man in his fifties exemplifies these daily challenges at the Seine-Saint-Denis agency.
At the CAF agency in Rosny-sous-Bois (Seine-Saint-Denis), crowds are heavy on this late October morning. About 1,500 people are welcomed daily in a green, impersonal hall located on the mail of this Paris suburb. Four box setups in a daisy pattern, shielded by plexiglass from the Covid-19 era, allow blue-vested agents to receive the public.
Franck H., a man in his fifties with a shaved head and black anorak, is one of them. His hands fidget with a pen as he tells the receptionist he no longer has unemployment benefits and is without resources. His file was closed without explanation, as he couldn't update it with his new address – he's staying with a friend – or new bank details. “It's okay, we'll apply for your RSA [active solidarity income] together,” the agent reassures him. Franck's shoulders relax, and he smiles in thanks.
Like him, many users come to open housing aid (APL) files, claim activity bonuses, report accidents, job losses, or births. Above all, they try to understand the software's demands. In Rosny-sous-Bois as in Tarbes (Hautes-Pyrénées), agents face complex cases where poverty is gaining ground, worsened by the digital divide. “We can see poverty gaining,” the article's title summarizes, highlighting the CAF's daily challenges amid rising precarity.