Street Clinics and the Healthcare of Vulnerable Homeless Communities in Brazil: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

(1) Background: homeless people are characterized by serious social vulnerability and difficulty in accessing health services worldwide. In Brazil, this population is supported by the Street Clinic teams who are challenged to establish intersectoral networks to expand access and promote unique and humanized care from the perspective of harm reduction. The study aimed to analyze the practices of professionals working at the Street Clinic in a city in the interior of São Paulo, Brazil, to tackle the vulnerabilities of the homeless population and expand access to the health care network. (2) Methods: a qualitative study was conducted with a social approach in which we interviewed eight workers from the Street Clinic. Data were analyzed using the thematic content analysis tool. (3) Results: three nuclei of meaning were built: stigma and prejudice as the main barriers to accessing services, harm reduction as a humanized care practice and valuing autonomy, and Street Clinic as a gateway to the health system and main interlocutor with other services. (4) Conclusions: the articulation with network services is marked by contradictory relationships, of conflict and trust, signaling the need for greater investment in educational qualifications and working conditions for professionals at all levels of care to expand access to health care.