'No one should be on the street' - Montevideo clears urban spaces as Uruguay activates strategy to combat homelessness

"The streets of Montevideo began to empty on Friday as part of the First Comprehensive National Strategy for Addressing the Street Situation, a plan focused on housing, health, and employment. The government is seeking to tackle this issue through a permanent assistance policy for the homeless. The strategy coordinates the work of the ministries of Social Development, Labour, Housing, Health and Interior under a model that focuses on health, education, and access to work as key elements for social reintegration. The footage shows personnel from the Ministry of Social Development (MIDES) of Uruguay carrying out tasks on the streets as part of the initiative. Some individuals can be seen sleeping on the streets, while sites where homeless people previously gathered in numbers can be seen deserted. According to director of Social Protection at MIDES, Daniel Gerhard, the strategy replaces the seasonal care scheme focused solely on the winter months, with permanent assistance available "365 days a year, 24 hours a day." The plan is already being implemented across the 19 departments of the country, according to reports. MIDES worker, Luca, said that his task is to reach out to homeless people and then invite them to a community centre run by the ministry. "Once at the centre, I have other roles such as requesting slots for people to stay overnight in a night shelter that day. Or we are also there sharing a snack, sharing a game," he explained. "We also create a listening space for people to express their needs to us." "The truth is that no one should be on the street. There are many young people, many very old people, of advanced age," he added. "The main cause, without a doubt, is problematic substance use. But there are many other cases." As part of the strategy, the government of Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi plans to convert shelters into housing solutions with social support for more than 3,000 people before 2028, in addition to guaranteeing 2,000 jobs for people with a history of homelessness. The programme also includes monitoring people released from the prisons as a preventive measure, as well as the development of a mobile application for citizens to report cases of homelessness. According to President Yamandu Orsi, homelessness has tripled over the past decade."

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