ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the details of the method used by the Institut National d’Etudes Demographiques (INED) to conduct its survey on a representative sample of homeless people using shelter and food services in Paris, in winter 1994–1995. France experienced a serious housing crisis in the 1950s, due notably to the slow pace of reconstruction and the exode ruralor heavy rural out-migration after the world war. A variety of observers are agreed that the number of homeless in France is on the increase, and that some of their characteristics are changing: they include more women, young persons, and immigrants fleeing the political and economic situation in their own countries. The survey of homeless service users conducted in Paris by INED is part of this larger project. The INED research was conducted under the auspices of the Conseil National de l’Information Statistique, and in partnership with voluntary organisations and other agencies working with the homeless.
