Homeless population grew 31% in past 2 years in Brazil’s São Paulo

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The City Hall of São Paulo on Sunday, January 23, released alarming data on the growth of the capital’s homeless population: in two years a 31% increase was recorded. There are currently 31,884 people living on the city’s streets, in 2019 it was 24,344.

The increase of 7,540 people is equivalent to the whole homeless population in Rio de Janeiro in 2020, according to the São Paulo City Hall comparison.

“Another comparison that reflects the dimension of the new reality in São Paulo indicates that the number of homeless people is higher than the number of inhabitants of most cities in the state. To have an idea, of the 645 cities in the State of São Paulo, 449, or 69.6% of the total, have fewer inhabitants than the homeless population calculated in the city of São Paulo,” the City Hall pointed out.

The first Census of the Homeless Population conducted in the city after the start of the Covid-19 pandemic revealed the socio-economic consequences that came with the health crisis. The census, which was to be conducted in 2023 as required by law, was brought forward due to the worsening of the crisis and, according to the City Hall, the need to provide quick solutions to assist this population.

“While in 2019 there were 24,344 homeless people in the city, by the end of 2021 there were 31,884 people identified in the Census. Of this total, 19,209 were registered when they were in public places and another 12,675 in shelters in the municipality’s social assistance network’s Shelter Centers,” the City Hall reported.

REGIONS WITH THE HIGHEST CONCENTRATION OF STREET POPULATION

Compared to the 2019 survey, the Census data reveal that the districts in the administrative region of the Mooca Subprefecture recorded the largest increase in the number of homeless people. In 2019, there were 1,419 people in the region, and now there are 2,254: a 170% growth in just 2 years.

In the region managed by the Sé Subprefecture, the increase in absolute figures stood at 973 people.

“The reasons why the homeless population is mostly concentrated in the neighborhoods surrounding downtown remain unchanged, i.e., they are related to factors such as mobility, work and access to food,” the research shows.

The study also indicates a significant increase in the homeless population in regions such as Perus, Vila Maria-Vila Guilherme and Santana-Tucuruvi, in the North Zone; Penha, Itaquera, Ermelino Matarazzo, São Miguel Paulista, Sapopemba, Guaianases and Itaim Paulista, in the East Zone; and Ipiranga, Vila Mariana, Jabaquara and M’Boi Mirim, in the Southeast and South zones.

FAMILIES LIVING IN TENTS

Classified as “improvised housing,” street tents grew by 330% in 2021, compared to 2019 data.

“While in the previous census there were 2,051 points addressed with improvised tents, in 2021 there were 6,778,” the City Hall said.

Another important fact is that the share of homeless women grew from 14.8% of the total population in 2019 to 16.6% in 2021. Similarly, the trans/travesti/agender/non-binary/other population also increased: it represented 2.7% in 2019, and now, it accounts for 3.1% of the population on the city streets.

The majority profile remains male, of working age, with an average age of 41.7 in 2021. Of the total number of homeless people in São Paulo, 70.8% are black or mixed race, according to the 2021 Census data.

PROFILE OF HOMELESS PEOPLE

In total, 96.44% of the homeless in the city of São Paulo were Brazilian and only 3.56% were foreigners. Of these, 39.2% are from the city of São Paulo, 19.86% are from other cities in the state of São Paulo and 40.94% are from other Brazilian states.

People from other states are mainly from Bahia, 8.47%, Minas Gerais, 5.44% and Pernambuco, 5.28%.

“The main reason that attracted 52% of people who are not natives of São Paulo to the city was the search for work/employment. The data on education show that 93.5% of homeless people in the city have attended school, 92.9% can read and write, 4.2% have completed higher education, 21.4% have completed high school and 15.3% have completed elementary school,” the survey shows.

The main reasons given by respondents for being on the streets were family conflicts (34.7%), alcohol and drug addiction (29.5%) and loss of job/income (28.4%).