‘Do what? Let’s go to the street’: without income, homeless and ‘invisible’, homeless population skyrockets in the country

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Homeless population in Brazil grew 38% in the last three years, and exceeds 281 thousand people, according to Ipea estimates. Leap was 211% in ten years. ‘Do what? Let’s go to the street’: homeless population soars in the country “It’s nice to live here. No one will mess with you. It’s quiet.” The tip received by Regiane Cristina Albuquerque do Nascimento, Cris, was decisive for her and her husband to settle down on a side street on Avenida Paulista, one of the main thoroughfares in the country. Brothers Mateus, 23, and Cris, 36, live in an improvised tent in the Avenida Paulista region. André Catto/g1 Tarpaulins, plastics and blankets, supported by wood, pipes and bamboo, started to form, then, what the 36-year-old woman from Guarulhos calls home today. The tent, about three meters long and at most one and a half wide, took shape with used mattresses, blankets, personal objects, kitchen and hygiene items. READ ALSO: Homeless population exceeds 48,000 in São Paulo and breaks record in 2022 “Despite being on the street, everything is clean here. I like cleanliness. I just washed the sidewalk. You can sit down”, says Cris, helpfully, when she finds the report from g1. Tarpaulins, plastics and blankets, supported by wood, pipes and bamboo, form what the 36-year-old woman from Guarulhos calls home today. André Catto/g1 It has been homeless for two years – half of them installed on the side sidewalk of Parque Prefeito Mário Covas, on Paulista. With her husband, she has already lived in some parts of the center of São Paulo, such as Largo São Bento and Anhangabaú. “The people who recommended me to stay here were some trans friends I met on the street. Here it was quieter, different from the other places I stayed, ”she comments. Cris and Mateus live in an improvised tent on a side street on Avenida Paulista. André Catto/g1 Financial crisis The loss of a fixed income made Cris take to the streets. She and her husband received, until the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, just over one minimum wage each. Cris, working as a butcher in a supermarket chain. Her husband, at a car wash. Together, they raised around BRL 3,000 a month, enough for rent of BRL 750, which included water and electricity. Both lost jobs around the same time, and watched their economies melt. “We had saved some money, but zero. We liked to walk, even took a dog. But with the pandemic, our savings ended. Then he said to me: ‘What are we going to do?’. I replied: ‘Let’s go to the street’. And we went, ”she says. Although it is not the only reason, lack of income is the main reason why people live on the streets, says Marco Natalino, researcher at the Institute of Applied Economic Research (Ipea). “The economic factor includes lack of income and job opportunities in the places where they live. This is also manifested in the case of people who even have a house far from the big centers, but spend the week or several days sleeping improvised in the streets and working as a car wash, street vendor and other things”, he says. At least 281,472 people are homeless in the country, an increase of 38% compared to 2019. André Catto/g1 National scenario The country lacks official data on people homeless. This population was even left out of the 2022 Demographic Census, carried out by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), which includes only domiciled people. Natalino explains that mapping is essential for the elaboration of public policies aimed at these people The study conducted by him – precisely for this purpose – estimates the size of the homeless population based on data from city halls and the Cadastro Único, of the fed government. eral. Consolidated figures for 2022 point to at least 281,472 people living on the streets across the country, which represents an increase of 38% compared to 2019, the pre-pandemic period. The jump was 211% in a decade – in 2012, there were 90,480 people without a roof in Brazil. “As of 2015, there was an increase in the homeless population motivated by the economic factor, with an increase in unemployment, informality, a drop in income and an increase in poverty”, analyzes the researcher, pointing to the worsening situation with the health crisis of Covid-19. With the difficulty of consolidating data by the government, the real numbers, however, may be even higher. Tent takes shape with used mattresses, blankets, blankets, personal objects, kitchen and hygiene items. André Catto/g1 Leap in one year The financial crisis also hit Mateus Albuquerque da Silva, 23 years old, Cris’ brother. He had an average monthly income of BRL 2,000, but he lost his jobs and was unable to find a new job. “Then came the pandemic. I earned money, and I saved it. But later, when everything was closed and there was a lockdown, I couldn’t keep it anymore, because there was no way to do it. I just spent and spent, and I couldn’t earn anymore”, he recalls. With no income, he couldn’t pay the rent, and found himself with no way out. In 2022, he decided to ask his sister for help, who received him in the tent. Today, the structure set up in the Paulista area houses Mateus, Cris, her husband and a boy adopted from the street, in addition to their eight dogs. Mateus is one more among the Brazilians who caused the number of homeless people to skyrocket from 2021 to 2022, when there was the biggest annual advance since the beginning of the historical series compiled by researcher Marco Natalino. The jump was 21% – 232,147 people – for the current 281,472 Brazilians living in these conditions. ‘Do what? Going to the streets’: crisis leaves Brazilians without income and homeless. André Catto/g1 Support network and mental health In addition to the economic factor, Natalino points out two other sets of elements that lead to this reality: the breaking of family and community ties, which form the first support network, and aspects related to health mental disorders, which include addiction to licit or illicit drugs. The pandemic has affected relationships at the base, which include family and friends, says the researcher. “Even before the State, we counted on people from our closest circle to support us in adverse situations. The truth is that the pandemic has strained some of these bonds. There were many fights, separations, broken bonds. And some people also ended up on the streets because of that.” Cris and Mateus, brothers on their mother’s side, do not have a consolidated support network. Despite their contact with Mateus’s father, Cris’s stepfather, they prefer to “make do”. “Relative? A relative is our teeth”, says Cris. “In fact, the only ones I’m sure won’t cheat on me are my dogs. The rest…”, he asks. Mateus is succinct on the subject: “We prefer to follow our lives”. Between ‘mangrove’ and receiving help Getting money is a challenge for both, whether picking up recyclable items on the streets or selling products like nail polish, pens and water bottles – the latter received in donations. “Instead of taking the water, we keep it and sell it. Then you can get some money”, says Cris. Cris shows the ‘bic holder’ made by Mateus and sold by her. André Catto/g1 They also have the help of establishments, residents of the region and those who pass by. “I started selling nail polish, begging – what people on the street call ‘manguear’. I also sell the personalized pen that my brother makes, in addition to the bic holder [isqueiro].” Cris receives the Auxílio Brasil, income that helps buy food prepared using a small alcohol stove. “At lunch, there was pasta [ao] garlic and oil.” Mateus was not so lucky with the benefit. “I tried, but I couldn’t until today. They said I didn’t meet the prerequisites. But they didn’t explain what they were. They didn’t pay attention, ”he reports. “Now I’ve given up.” Mateus shows the personalized pens they sell. André Catto/g1 How to stop this scenario? The first step to improve public policies aimed at the homeless population is to improve the indicators, says Natalino. “We need, first, to know this reality better, so that we can deal with it appropriately.” Then, he lists some points considered essential to alleviate the situation: Income transfer policies They are a kind of “vaccine” against the deleterious effects of poverty on people’s lives, he says. “There is an unemployment insurance policy. But, often, as there is no formal job for this population, the ideal is income transfer policies such as Bolsa Família.” “It would be interesting to think about one-off income transfers for situations of economic shock. Sometimes it is unemployment or the death of the family’s economic breadwinner that leads to this situation of vulnerability. And it can result not only in a homeless situation, but a series of other problems derived from poverty”, he warns. ‘At lunch, there was pasta [ao] garlic and oil’, says Cris. André Catto/g1 Improvement in social assistance infrastructure This includes more dignified assistance in social spaces and psychosocial care, in addition to improving hostels and social shelters, with cleaner environments and better quality treatment. “I call this aspect the institutional reordering of social assistance policies”, says the researcher. Health policies The negative highlight goes to the exclusion of this population from health facilities. “Sometimes the person arrives there without a document and is not assisted. Or she arrives in a situation where she is stigmatized and does not get care. This has to change.” Cris shows the alcohol stove used for cooking. André Catto/g1 Housing policies It is an aspect that has been gaining strength, says Natalino. He explains that there is a trend among specialists, civil society and municipal, state and federal decision to adopt a ‘housing first’ methodology.” That is, to identify homelessness as a problem, above all, of homelessness. And, from there, to think about housing policies.” “It’s interesting because it combines access to housing with social assistance and psychosocial services, so that people can get their lives back on track. And that’s what international experience shows has the best results”, he concludes. public policies aimed at the homeless population is improving indicators, says researcher André Catto/g1

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