Street Outreach Offices: visibility, invisibility, and enhanced visibility

This article discusses care for street people from a socio-anthropological perspective, using participant observation conducted with a team from a street outreach project. Based on observations, street people are historically viewed as marginal and rarely obtain access to health services, thus makin...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Cadernos de saúde pública 2015-07, Vol.31 (7), p.1497-1504
Main Authors: Hallais, Janaína Alves da Silveira, Barros, Nelson Filice de
Format: Article
Language:Portuguese
Subjects:
Brazil
Community Health Services
Community-Institutional Relations
Delivery of Health Care - methods
Health Promotion
Health Services Accessibility
Homeless Persons
Humans
National Health Programs
Social Support
Sociology, Medical
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Summary:This article discusses care for street people from a socio-anthropological perspective, using participant observation conducted with a team from a street outreach project. Based on observations, street people are historically viewed as marginal and rarely obtain access to health services, thus making them invisible to the Brazilian Unified National Health System. Brazil's National Policy for the Homeless provides for their access to health care, but such care is not always guaranteed in practice, because health services and professionals have little experience in dealing with homeless persons. The study concludes that enhanced visibility is needed to ensure care for people living on the street, establishing a therapeutic bond that deconstructs stigmatizing practice.
ISSN:1678-4464
DOI:10.1590/0102-311X00143114