Brazil earmarks approx. BRL 1 bi for homeless people actions

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva unveiled the Visible Streets Plan - For the Right to the Future of the Homeless Population. This initiative aims to promote the implementation of the National Policy for the Homeless Population, featuring an initial investment of BRL 982 million.

During a ceremony at the Planalto presidential palace on Monday (Dec. 11), Lula highlighted the need for government initiatives to support this population and to give visibility to their rights.

"We understand that often the state neglects these individuals, society tends to overlook their plight, and we, at times, avert our gaze to avoid confronting the harsh reality of political, economic, and social neglect in our country. If these people exist, responsibility lies somewhere, and unequivocally, it falls on the state."

In the view of the president, the population must be committed to electing leaders who are also concerned about social issues. "The Brazilian Constitution says that every individual has fundamental rights, explicitly stated in the foundational articles addressing social matters, as enshrined in the Declaration of Human Rights,” he noted.

The launch coincides with the celebrations of the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, observed on Sunday (10), and aligns with the Supreme Court's mandate to actively enforce the national human rights policy established in 2009.

The Visible Streets Plan includes 99 actions that will be developed along seven lines: social assistance and food security; health; institutional violence; citizenship, education, and culture; housing; work and income; and data production and management. The coordination involves 11 ministries, in partnership with state and municipal governments and in dialogue with social movements and other representative bodies.

According to the Minister of Human Rights and Citizenship, Silvio Almeida, more than 221,000 individuals live on the streets in the country. "These are people, including children, who live in extreme poverty, subjected to intense vulnerability, exposed to all kinds of violence," he said, explaining that the Visible Streets Plan demonstrates the federal government's commitment to turning the promises in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights into reality.