Direito a ter direitos: assistência social à população adulta em situação de rua em Salvador

Abstract

This dissertation discusses the social assistance network involving the homeless adult population of Salvador, Bahia. This segment of the population is a phenomenon of urban social issues, which have been aggravated by the neo-liberal policies adopted by Brazil that placed the country under a process of productive restructuring, privatizations and restrictions on investments in public policies. On this basis, we describe how these guidelines worsened the level of unemployment during the 1990s through to the first years of this millennium, causing a growth in the army of workers excluded from the market and, consequently, the rise in the number of people living on the streets. We address the evolution of the Social Assistance Policy and protection, following the enactment of the 1988 Constitution, the concept and profile of these subjects, and the fight for the guarantee of their rights, sponsored by the National Movement of the Homeless People. In this context we analyze the institutions maintained by both the municipal and state governments, as well as the assistance provided by religious entities. Visiting the social assistance establishments we found that these facilities are insufficient and inadequate to meet the needs of the number of homeless people in Salvador. Another aspect was that the staff was mostly comprised of outsourced professionals, which goes against the standards for ensuring the rights of this group. Interviews with the assisted people revealed their desire of belonging and of citizenship, corroborating our views that the care services are precarious, do not meet the basic needs of this public, and consider of lesser importance measures aimed at the social inclusion of men and women who make the streets their home and livelihood.