Between Favor And Right: Policies to Assist the Homeless Population in Latin America

Abstract

The present study analyzed the scientific literature on social policies and the homeless population in Latin American countries. We analyzed a total of 51 articles from a search in the databases Scielo, Lilacs and Redalyc using the keyword ‘Populagao em Situagao de Rua', presenting experiences and reflections about the service to this segment in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Cuba. Despite similar profiles, it is a very heterogeneous segment. The main emphases on social policies were in the areas of social assistance and healthcare, and these still tend towards welfarism. However, progress has been made in the creation of legislation, services and policies for guaranteeing rights. Finally, there is a need to deepen the discussion about the productive determination of social inequality and the progress in the implementation of social policies that aim to enable real access to social rights by this population.