Food access and acquisition strategies of Homeless Persons in downtown Santos

Abstract

Usually associated with crime and unemployment, the homeless population (HP) is inserted in an environment of almost absolute invisibility when it comes to guaranteeing basic rights such as food. The Human Right to adequate and healthy food, provided for by the Constitution, ensures to every individual unrestricted access to adequate and healthy food in sufficient quantity. However, it is undeniable that the homeless population does not eat regularly, adopting different strategies to obtain food due to the neglect of that right. Thus, the study aims to understand the survival strategies of the homeless people living in the central region of Santos, from the standpoint of food as a right, as well as investigate whether there is a food routine and describe how it occurs, describe the strategies used to access food and learn about the motivators, facilitators and obstacles behind them. This is a descriptive, exploratory and qualitative research that will be conducted through semi-structured interviews based on a specific script with the HP captured with the help of the services of the program Consultório na Rua (CnaR), which is part of the health facility Unidade do Porto e do Centro de Referência Especializado à População em Situação de Rua (Centro POP), in Santos. The interviews will be recorded, coded and transcribed for later analysis. A field diary will also be composed by the researcher, describing the whole experience and impressions on the aforementioned interviews. The analysis on the collected data will be based on thematic content analysis. It is expected that this work will contribute to the improved visibility of said population, as well as boost the creation of public policies related to the diet of the homeless.