Dozens of homeless camp under tents in the wood of Vincennes, a large forest located near Paris.… Hidden by trees and vegetation, those men and women found a shelter in the wild where they remain invisible to the outside world; a peaceful break, in comparison to the violence homeless face in the city.

    The small camps are scattered here and there at the edge of the forest and next to water sources. Most campers count on begging and charity organizations to survive, while others hold a low paid job in the city during a day and sleep in the wood at night…

    Jeannot, 63, has been living in the forest for many years. He became homeless in his early twenties after a accident on a construction site made him lose vision from one eye. Following the accident, he lost his job, his appartment, his fiancée and never recovered a normal life. He used to live in the street before settling down in the wood of Vincennes. In the forest, his only fear is to be evicted.

    Reportage made in 2008

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    Patrick, 50, reflects in a puddle of water, in the wood of Vincennes, near Paris.

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    Jeannot, 63, reflects on a mirror of a tent in the wood of Vincennes, near Paris.

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    Patrick, 50, sitting in his tent in the wood of Vincennes, near Paris. By the tent, a picture of the Abbe Pierre, champion of the homeless in France.

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    Patrick drinks coffee in his arranged "living room", next to his tent, in the wood of Vincennes, near Paris.

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    Patrick, 50, walks in the wood of Vincennes, near Paris. Campers have to walk kilometers just to have a cup of coffee or a meal.

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    Paulo, 60, has been camping in the wood for 22 years.

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    A camper keeps a thermometer, outside his tent, in the wood of Vincennes, near Paris. Survival in the wild is critical for homeless as temperatures get very low in winter.

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    Monique, 53, and Thierry, 47, next to their makeshift home, in the wood of Vincennes, near Paris. Thierry was working as a security guard before losing his job. Monique became homeless 10 years ago, after separating from an abusive boyfriend.

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    Beatrice, 54, lying down in her tent, in the wood of Vincennes, near Paris. Beatrice slept several months in subway stations before settling down in the wood with her boyfriend and her dog.

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    Jeannot, 63, in the wood of Vincennes, near Paris.

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    "Saint-Malo", 51, next to his solar panels in the wood of Vincennes where he has been living for 18 years. Campers uses all kind of tricks to survive in the wild. Those panels fill a battery with electricity, that campers use to watch TV. One day of exposure could provide two hours of Television.

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    Gerard, 60, next to his tent, in the wood of Vincennes, near Paris.

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