Hogar de Cristo criticizes legislative moves to criminalize public space occupation

Legislative initiatives are advancing in Congress to sanction the occupation of public goods through precarious installations and to criminalize the use of public spaces for habitation or overnight stays under the figure of permanent flagrancy. These two proposals have been merged and have passed the general vote in the Interior Government Commission.

Solange Veloso, director of National Social Operation at Hogar de Cristo, argues that living in makeshift shelters is an expression of extreme vulnerability rather than a crime. She emphasizes that evicting individuals without providing concrete alternatives merely displaces the problem to other areas rather than resolving the underlying issue of homelessness. The organization advocates for state intervention that addresses sanitary risks and public coexistence while ensuring social rights and providing solutions for those displaced.