As of December 31, 2023, 13,128 people were living homeless, marking a 23% rise from 2022, with 4,871 residing in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area (AML).
Cristiana Merendeiro attributes this increase to a lack of essential action, particularly in housing, as she expressed in an interview.
She emphasized that the current situation involves admissions to shelters, which are emergency solutions that should be limited and followed by long-term solutions.
“People should not spend a single night on the streets and must have immediate access to such responses, but there’s a failure in transitioning to long-term solutions,” she noted.
Merendeiro stressed the need for long-term housing solutions and preventive measures, rather than focusing primarily on emergency responses.
In Lisbon, there are 400 apartments designated for Housing-first projects, a model that offers individual housing with support, including for those with mental health issues or addictions, with 140 managed by CRESCER.
When asked about the ideal number of apartments needed, Merendeiro stated that approximately four thousand people are homeless in AML, and a corresponding number of housing units is necessary.
“We need to provide solutions for those in homelessness and start implementing preventive projects,” she argued.
She warned that failing to address this will leave no other solutions: “We cannot try to resolve a situation that fundamentally stems from lack of housing.”
For Merendeiro, this issue should have been tackled “many years ago” with policies drastically different from current ones.
“If we continue with emergency responses, we will not curb this flow. We are dealing with a poverty phenomenon where people have jobs but still cannot afford housing,” she cautioned.
The coordinator from CRESCER acknowledged efforts to better understand the issue and noted increased public investment alongside attempts from both state and local authorities to engage in solutions.
The problem, according to her, remains the lack of housing.
Regarding other associated issues like alcoholism, drug addiction, or mental health, Merendeiro noted these are common across various demographics, but the homeless experience them from the streets.
“We must prioritize housing because it provides not only shelter but also a sense of security and autonomy in personal decisions,” she asserted.
Through the ‘É UMA CASA – Housing First’ project, CRESCER has provided housing to 175 people over the past 13 years.
