Human City and Transformative: Social Development in Ponta Grossa

The development of a city goes far beyond urban expansion, job creation or public works. A truly developed city is one that recognizes people as the center of public policy and builds opportunities for everyone to fully exercise their citizenship. In this context, the public policy of social assistance plays a strategic role in reducing inequalities, preventing social vulnerabilities and promoting inclusion, consolidating a network of protection capable of transforming lives.

In Ponta Grossa, this policy is implemented by the Ponta Grossa Social Welfare Foundation (FASPG), responsible for the management of the Unified Social Welfare System (SUAS) in the municipality. The Foundation’s activities are based on guaranteeing rights, social protection and strengthening the autonomy of families, developing actions articulated with various public policies and with civil society organizations.

Social assistance is provided to people and families in situations of vulnerability and/or social risk, resulting from poverty, violence, violation of rights, neglect, disability, ageing, unemployment or other situations that weaken family and community ties. More than offering benefits, municipal policy seeks to build ways for these people to have access to citizenship, social inclusion and development opportunities.

The social assistance network of Ponta Grossa is composed of services of Basic Social Protection and Special Social Protection, organized in a territorialized way to meet the different needs of the population. In the Social Assistance Reference Centers (CRAS), families find welcome, guidance, family support, access to the Single Registry, referral to benefits and participation in collective activities aimed at strengthening family and community bonds. The Specialized Reference Centers for Social Assistance (CREAS) deal with situations of violence, neglect, exploitation, child labor and other violations of rights, offering specialized technical support.

FASPG has also consolidated, the Management of prefeita Elizabeth Schimidt, initiatives that expanded the access of the population to social rights and strengthened the care network, as the special transport for wheelchair users, the Funeral Bus Aid, partnership for the issuance of the Identity Card, the development of productive inclusion projects, Entrepreneurship and professional qualifications, as the “ Entrepreneur Room in CRAS – From Informal to Legal Entrepreneur, Winner of the Paraná Public Manager Award in 2021 and XI Sebrae Mayor Entrepreneur Award in 2022, the Capable Pilot Project, with a focus on productive inclusion and professional qualification for people served in Social Assistance, in addition to actions aimed at the insertion of adolescents and young people in the world of work, through learning programs, Jovem Aprendiz. This set reinforces the commitment of the municipality with an accessible, integrated and oriented social assistance for the promotion of autonomy and citizenship.

The activities of FASPG also include institutional care services for children, adolescents, women victims of violence, adults and elderly people, as well as the Specialized Service in Social Approach, assistance to the population in a street situation, Host Family, eventual benefits, productive inclusion programs, decentralized actions in the territories and various initiatives aimed at preventing social vulnerabilities. In 2025, the Foundation intensified the decentralization of services, promoting community actions that brought social assistance closer to families in urban neighborhoods and rural communities, significantly expanding the population’s access to public services.

Another differential of the municipal policy is the permanent investment in the qualification of the management and in the strengthening of the social assistance network. The elaboration of the Plano Municipal of Social Assistance 2026-2029, built in a participatory way with workers, councils and entities, reaffirms the commitment of the municipality with the planning, transparency and continuous improvement of the services offered to the population.

Among the main initiatives implemented by the municipality stands out the Cartão PG Mais Humana, an income transfer program that represents an important strategy of social protection and combating vulnerabilities. The benefit allows families accompanied by social assistance services to acquire food and essential products directly in local trade, strengthening their autonomy and promoting greater dignity in access to basic needs.

More than a financial benefit, the Cartão PG Mais Humana integrates a family follow-up methodology developed by the social assistance network. The beneficiary families remain linked to social assistance services, participating in care, guidance and referrals that contribute to the gradual overcoming of situations of vulnerability. Thus, the program combines immediate protection with the development of strategies aimed at social emancipation.

Another important axis of the social policies of the municipality is aimed at the valuation of the elderly. Population ageing challenges public administrations to develop actions capable of promoting quality of life, autonomy and social participation. In Ponta Grossa, social assistance develops coexistence groups, cultural workshops, physical activities, intergenerational actions and community events that strengthen family bonds, prevent social isolation and stimulate active aging.

The living spaces for the elderly have become important instruments for the promotion of emotional health, community integration and the protagonism of people. In addition to regular activities, participation in tours, cultural meetings and community actions broaden the sense of belonging and strengthen the existing support networks in the territories.

The construction of a more humane city also depends on the active participation of organised civil society. In this regard, Ponta Grossa has consolidated a wide network of civil society organizations partners in social assistance, responsible for the execution of complementary services aimed at the protection of children, adolescents, people with disabilities, elderly people, women and families in situations of vulnerability. The management of prefeita Elizabeth Schimidt was the municipal management that invested the most in partnerships with the social assistance institutions, transferring in 2025, R$ 29 million, and forecast of R$ 32 million in 2026, representing a gradual increase in investment, doubling the value of transfers since the year 2019.

These organizations work closely with FASPG, through terms of collaboration, permanent monitoring, technical advice and systematic monitoring of the services executed. This partnership significantly expands the capacity of the municipality to attend and strengthens the shared management of public policy, ensuring greater capillaryness of the social protection network.

Another aspect that deserves to be highlighted is the strengthening of municipal policy aimed at people in street situations. In recent years, the Social Assistance Foundation has expanded its social approach, care qualification and intersectoral articulation strategies, consolidating a permanent flow of reception and follow-up.

As a milestone of this policy, the implementation of the Maria Isabel Ramos Wosgrau Reception House stands out, the first municipal hostel structured to offer overnight reception, food, hygiene, complementing the services offered by Centro POP: referrals to the social assistance network, access to documentation, health and social reintegration opportunities. The initiative represents a significant advance in the guarantee of rights and in overcoming the exclusively assistance logic, prioritizing the reconstruction of bonds and life projects.

Complementing this human development strategy, the Social Seal Program stands out, an initiative that mobilizes companies, public institutions, universities and social organizations for the development of projects aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda. The program encourages private social investments, encourages good social responsibility practices, and recognizes organizations that develop actions capable of generating positive impact in the community. In 2024, the Program certified 270 companies in the municipality.

Although it has a distinct nature of social assistance policy, the Social Seal Program dialogues directly with the construction of a more inclusive city by encouraging co-responsibility between public authorities, private enterprise and civil society. This integration expands the capacity to confront social inequalities and strengthens a culture of collective commitment to sustainable development.

In addition to the recognition of institutions committed to social development, the program coordinated campaigns of great community impact, such as PG Sem Frio, responsible for mobilizing companies and the population to collect and distribute winter clothes, blankets and items for families in a situation of vulnerability, and the campaign Solidarity Christmas, which promoted the collection of food for Christmas baskets, strengthening the spirit of the children and the family.

The experience of Ponta Grossa demonstrates that social transformation occurs when structured public policies, skilled management and community participation move in the same direction. Social assistance is no longer understood only as a response to emergencies to consolidate itself as a permanent instrument of guaranteeing rights, strengthening families and promoting citizenship.

By investing in the qualification of the social assistance network, in the transfer of income, in the valorization of the elderly, in the strengthening of civil society organizations and in the mobilization of private initiative through the Social Seal, Ponta Grossa reaffirms its commitment to a development model centered on people. It is a city that understands that economic development and human development are inseparable dimensions and that a fairer society is built when no one is left behind.

This trajectory shows that the future of cities necessarily passes through the consolidation of public policies capable of promoting inclusion, reducing inequalities and strengthening citizenship. At Ponta Grossa, social assistance has been one of the pillars of this transformation, demonstrating that investing in people is the most solid way to build an increasingly humane, welcoming and transformative city.

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