Majority of the STF confirms ban on forcibly removing homeless people

Ministers Cristiano Zanin, Dias Toffoli, Nunes Marques, Rosa Weber and Cármen Lúcia voted to confirm an injunction in July by Alexandre de Moraes that prohibited the government from forcibly removing homeless people and their objects from the places they occupy in cities . With that, a majority was formed in the Federal Supreme Court to maintain the measures determined by the minister.

In July, following a request from the Sustainability Network, the Socialism and Freedom Party (PSOL) and the Homeless Workers Movement (MTST), he gave the federal government 120 days to diagnose the situation of the street population and formulate public policies to give them employment, food, shelter, health protection, regularization of personal documents and access to social programs. These measures should also involve states and municipalities.

Another determination is to prohibit the so-called “hostile architecture”, consisting of structures that make it difficult for people to settle in urban spaces, such as stones under viaducts and metal cylinders on public benches.

In his decision, Moraes cited a study by the Institute for Applied Economic Research (Ipea) which estimated a 211% growth in the homeless population between 2012 and 2022, accelerating during the pandemic and reaching 281,472 people.