Census of the homelessness population: Tendency analysis in some capitals of Brazil and the world

The presence of people on the streets in the city of Sao Paulo has increased in absolute numbers in recent years, reaching the number of 13 000 people in 2009, according to the municipal government. The growth rate of this population has grown on average 10% during researches in the intervals 1991, 2000 and 2011, almost ten times the population of this city. In an attempt to measure whether the growth of this phenomenon is repeated in other major cities in the world, this article aims to organize and analyze the results of specific Census involving the homeless population in many cities in Brazil and the world, in order to verify if there is a similar increasing tendency of this phenomenon in other capitals. Thus, information were obtained from studies conducted in Brazilian cities such as Belo Horizonte, Porto Alegre and Recife and in cities of Latin America such as Mexico City, Buenos Aires and Bogota, and other major cities like New York and London. The results show that the tendency in Sao Paulo for this population increase is not the same as in other cities in the world. Despite the existence of people on the streets is not a new fact, it can be seen that the last two decades concern in learning more about the causes and circumstances of the precarious situation in general has increased and has been a focus of the social policies of different countries. This study comprises a research project on developing conditions of shelter for adults in the central area of Sao Paulo and its interface with the existing public housing policies.