HOMELESS PEOPLE AND THEIR ACCESS TO FOOD: INEQUALITY INTENSIFIED BY THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

UMA DESIGUALDADE INTENSIFICADA PELA PANDEMIA DA COVID-19

Abstract

In 2022, 33.1 million people are affected by hunger, and access to food by the homeless population is made even more difficult in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. This article seeks to understand how access to food is recommended for homeless people in the city of Porto Alegre. This is a qualitative research in which the interviews were guided by a script with open questions. The interviews took place by the snowball method in which each entity suggested another for the interview. Thus, 10 entities related to the theme were totaled, whose data were analyzed through content analysis. As na inclusion criterion is “the entity that works with the street population and food in Porto Alegre”. As a result, it is evident that there are four forms of access to food: individual actions, third parties, the State and social projects. Also is the dismantling of public policies experienced in Brazil and the consequent absence of the role of the State in guaranteeing the right to food, which makes civil society a responsibility that is a duty of the State. It is concluded that the food of the homeless person is more accessed by voluntary actions, which signals about the transfer of role from the State to civil society. There is a need to recognize food insecurity as an emerging and necessary problem to be faced through better distribution of income, employment and labor rights, as well as public social policies, with measures that go beyond the philanthropic perspective of entities. The importance of research and the production of knowledge is reiterated in order to make visible the lack of access to the right to food and the challenges of thinking about the subject considering the homeless population.