Abstract:

The article presents part of the data on the adult homeless population in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, gathered by researchers from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul in 2016, hired by the Social Assistance and Citizenship Foundation of the municipality of Porto Alegre. The research identified 2,115 homeless adults, both men and women, and a survey was applied to a sample of 467 people. In the article we present some of the social and demographic characteristics of the population and sample of interviewees, comparing data from previous surveys applied in 2007-2008 and 2011. We discuss how homeless people make use of urban structure, how they suffer “social invisibility” and stigmatization processes, focusing on daily life conflicts with public institutions that offer social assistance, health care and public security services, as well as conflicts with “conventional” city dwellers. The results show that the homeless population in Porto Alegre has increased, aged and been longer on the streets, raising questions over the public policies for this social sector.

Keywords:
Adult homeless population; Porto Alegre; Stigmatization; Social invisibility