Social challenges rise in Tarapacá and Salto as homelessness and unemployment climb

In Chile, Deputy Álvaro Jofré has raised alarms regarding the dramatic increase in the homeless population in the Tarapacá region. Citing census data from 2017 and 2024, Jofré reported that the number of people living on the streets in the region rose from 500 to over 1,900. The deputy criticized current state strategies as being purely assistance-based and ineffective, calling for a shift toward stricter penalization, more prisons, and deeper interventions in neighborhood security.

In Uruguay, official data from the National Institute of Statistics has highlighted socioeconomic challenges in Salto. The department is facing a 7% unemployment rate and a 30% informal labor rate. Additionally, authorities have noted a paradox in the local housing market: more than 7,000 homes remain vacant while many families face overcrowding or high rental costs. Local leaders are calling for decentralized public investment and better regulation of land use to address these issues.