Governor Celina Leão moves DF homeless shelter amid controversy over involuntary admission bill

Governor Celina Leão of Brazil's Distrito Federal announced the relocation of the Centro Pop shelter from the Asa Sul area to a new site, citing safety concerns and drug‑related incidents near the former address. The move follows a meeting with secretaries of health, social development, justice, public security and other agencies, and is part of a broader plan to create an integrated registry for people experiencing homelessness.

At the same time, the government forwarded Bill 2367/2026, titled the “District Policy of Humanized Reception and Integral Care for People in Situations of Street Vulnerability.” The proposal includes the integrated database and, controversially, provisions that would allow involuntary hospitalization of homeless individuals with severe drug dependence. Human‑rights, mental‑health and social‑assistance organizations warned that the bill conflicts with Brazil’s psychiatric reform law and the district’s existing homelessness policy, calling it a step toward segregation and institutionalisation of the poor.

Critics argue that the legislation diverts attention from needed investments in housing, social services and community‑based mental‑health care, and they fear it could undermine the principles of dignity, freedom and non‑discrimination enshrined in existing laws.