A French homeless man who built his own intricate castle out of recycled foam after losing his apartment has been notified by authorities to tear it down because it poses a danger.
David, a 53-year-old former animator from Toulouse, France, has been homeless for over a year, after reportedly losing his apartment to squatting. With nowhere else to go, he had no choice but to sleep in a tent on the outskirts of Tournefeuille, a town on the banks of the Touch River. One day, an old woman stopped in front of his tent and said “that’s not very clean,” so he decided to upgrade his temporary abode to something more visually appealing. Using his experience as an animator, he steadily built himself a fairytale castle out of recycled and painted blocks of foam found in dumpsters. Before long, his home became a popular attraction for both children and adults.
Photo: VALENTINE CHAPUIS/AFP
Apart from constantly improving his foam castle by adding all kinds of accessories, David also hosts creative workshops for children on a voluntary basis every Sunday. He never bothered anyone and locals seem to love his beautiful castle. Some were shocked to learn he uses it as a home, thinking that it was an artistic installation paid for by the local council.
Although everyone seems to be in awe of David’s talent, local authorities aren’t as impressed. On Christmas Eve, they sent the homeless person a rather inappropriate gift, a letter notifying him that he needed to dismantle his castle as soon as possible. The backlash from the locals has convinced officials to extend David’s deadline, but they insist that the man’s home will have to be destroyed.
“It’s made of foam, so if it catches fire the person inside could die and the fire could spread,” a spokesperson for the Tournefeuille town hall said, adding that it was the mayor’s responsibility to ensure the safety of the town’s citizens.
However, locals believe that authorities should come up with another solution in order to preserve David’s “magical castle” which children have grown to love so much.
