There is news that shakes an entire team. The kind that suddenly brings us back to what it truly means to "walk someone back to life"… when death, too, is part of that journey.
Liam* was thirty-four. Much too young to die. After a long period of homelessness, he had finally found a place to call home. A real home. A space he had shaped to reflect who he was — with care, with taste.
He felt good there. He was slowly rebuilding. He was speaking about the future, about plans, about family. He was smiling again. And then, life had other plans.
What still strikes us today is the silent solitude that surrounded his final moments. It took us several days to realise that he was gone. It’s a difficult pain to name. Because it reminds us that sometimes, we are the only bond, the only concerned presence behind a closed door.
But within that sorrow, there is also a sense of peace. Liam did not die in the street. He died in his own home. With a roof, an address, memories, and a space of his own. And that — even if it doesn't erase the sadness — changes everything.
Le Collectif des morts de la rue, as they often do in such moments, stepped in. Together with them and our network, we are organising a memorial. A time to say goodbye, to remember, to honour the worth of a life that was often invisible.
These ceremonies are both farewells and reunions — of hearts joined in the same fight: that of dignity, even in death.
Supporting the end of life: an immense responsibility
Supporting the end of life is sometimes part of our Housing First mission. It’s a huge responsibility, and a wound that leaves a trace. But it’s also proof that, somehow, we succeeded: we offered someone the chance to live — and die — differently than in the street.
— Audrey, social worker and housing team coach
Each case is unique. Behind each name is a story and a dignity to be preserved.
--
(*) We do our utmost to respect the privacy of our patients and our professional secrecy. However, we want to testify to how they must survive and how we are working together to reintegrate them. As a result, the names of places and people are deliberately omitted or changed and real-life situations are placed in a different context. There is no direct link between the photos and the stories above.