Salvation Army Keeps Paris, France, and Lyon Services Open Through Summer Heat Wave

Ahead of the end of summer, the Salvation Army reviewed the help it had provided to people in difficulty this season, a effort supported by public donations. Jean-François Maruszyczak, Deputy Director General of the Salvation Army Foundation, said: “The precariousness does not take any leave.”

People living on the street remain exposed to serious dangers, which heat waves make worse. The Foundation said it had maintained and strengthened all of its work with people on the street so that no one would be left behind. The Collectif Les Morts de la Rue noted that during the first heat wave, from June 22 to July 1, 2026, at least 17 people without a fixed home died of hyperthermia or dehydration. The source says that in summer heat it becomes harder for people in precarity to wash, eat or find cool places, and that many associative structures close. Isolated women and elderly people are among those most at risk from this climate-related hardship.

The Salvation Army’s four Parisian day-receptions stayed open without interruption through the summer. Guests were offered a rest period and accompaniment, and the centres provided water bottles, snacks, showers and rest, in a spirit of hospitality toward people in need (Matthew 25:35).

In Paris’s 20th arrondissement, a daily breakfast service served more than 100 people from Monday to Friday. The Night Soup continued to provide a meal to 200 people each evening. A new evening meal distribution was added from July 13 to August 29, running six days a week in the same arrondissement.

In Lyon, food aid remained a central part of the summer support. The source says these distributions build connections and reduce the isolation that people accompanied during the summer often feel. The Salvation Army’s social restaurant in Lyon Cité, on Thiers Avenue in the 6th arrondissement, served about 300 lunches and evening meals a day, seven days a week, in an air-conditioned space.

Operation Chaleur solidaire, launched in early July and extended until August 31, added a dedicated extra street outreach. It asks citizens, businesses and communities to collect essential items to protect vulnerable people during the heat, whether they are on the street, in emergency accommodation or in day services. The listed needs include water bottles, shower gels, deodorants, body wipes, rechargeable mist sprayers, fans, hats and sun cream. Nearly 60 collection points remained open across France.

Source: Read the original report (translated from French)