On October 5, 2026, La Poste is issuing a sheet of three stamps honoring Samusocial and the values that drive it: equality, dignity, and solidarity.
Founded in Paris in 1993 based on the vision of Dr. Xavier Emmanuelli, Samusocial changed the way society views extreme social exclusion: simply waiting is not enough; one must reach out to those who may no longer be asking for help. On the streets, physical, psychological, and social distress demand an immediate, professional, humane, and coordinated response: listening, treating, protecting, guiding, housing, and providing long-term support.
Samusocial de Paris embodies this social emergency response on a daily basis. Its mobile teams and its reception, care, housing, and coordination services work with homeless individuals and those in situations of extreme precariousness, guided by a simple imperative: to view each person as a whole without judgment, without conditions, and without giving up on anyone.
This model has spread elsewhere. Samusocial International, established in 1998, supports the development of programs tailored to major cities around the world places where exclusion takes different forms but calls for the same approach: addressing the needs of street children and youth, isolated women, homeless adults, displaced persons, refugees, and those cut off from social protection systems. It shares an approach rooted in Samusocial’s ethical values and methodological principles: mobility, continuous availability, a multidisciplinary approach, professionalism, and partnership. The Samusocial International network thus enables the implementation of initiatives for the most marginalized populations across a dozen countries on four continents.
The National Federation of Samusociaux (Fédération nationale des Samu Sociaux), created in 2001, brings together and supports outreach patrols and mobile teams throughout France. It structures practices, gives voice to those on the ground, and champions effective access to fundamental rights.
Across these three organizations, a single conviction remains: no life should be reduced to mere survival amidst indifference. Reaching out, forging connections, providing care, upholding dignity, and acting with solidarity and fraternity—this is the commitment of the Samusociaux. A promise of presence. A promise of humanity. And a pledge never to look away.
