Prefeitura de Ponta Grossa guides merchants on how to help people in homeless situations

The Ponta Grossa Social Welfare Foundation (FASPG) is stepping up the guidance actions to merchants on attending to people in street situations in Ponta Grossa. This week, Social Approach Service professionals visited fuel stations to distribute informational materials and explain how the population can trigger specialized teams.

The initiative seeks to strengthen the social protection network of the municipality and bring merchants closer to assistance services. Because they are in daily contact with the public, workers in commercial establishments are often the first to identify people in a situation of vulnerability.

According to FASPG president Tatyana Belo, community participation is essential for care to reach those who need it most.

"The merchants are in strategic points of the city and can be great partners in the network of protection for people in street situations. We know that giving a coin or offering punctual help does not solve the situation and often ends up prolonging the stay on the street. The best way to help is to activate the team, which is prepared to listen to this person, understand what he needs and offer real ways to get out of the streets, always respecting his history and his choices.

Specialised care for children and adolescents

In addition to work aimed at adults, FASPG maintains, since October 2023, a specific approach service for children and adolescents in situations of child labour or begging, whether they are accompanied or not by managers.

The teams carry out active searches in streets, squares, commercial establishments and other public spaces, seeking to identify situations of vulnerability and ensure the necessary referrals.

According to Tatyana Belo, the work is carried out in a complementary way to the Guardianship Council, seeking to understand the circumstances that have brought children and adolescents to the streets.

"The service acts in a complementary way to the Guardian Council. In the approach, professionals seek to understand the reasons that led the child or adolescent to the streets and, from this diagnosis, make referrals to the Specialized Reference Center for Social Assistance (CREAS) or to the Guardian Council for follow-up, "he explains.

Among the measures adopted are referral to vocational courses, encouragement to return to school and access to social assistance services, with the aim of guaranteeing protection and opportunities for social reintegration.

Learn how to trigger the Social Approach in Ponta Grossa

The Foundation for Social Assistance reinforces that any citizen can contribute to the protection of people in street situations. When identifying someone who may need attention, the guidance is to contact the specialized teams.

The channels provided by FASPG are:

Adult service: (42) 98882-6567

Children and adolescents: (42) 98825-5514

The proposal is to ensure that the situations identified are accompanied by qualified professionals, who can evaluate the needs of each person and make the appropriate referrals to the social assistance network of the municipality.

Also read: https://bntonline.com.br/prefeitura-ponta-grossa-otubro-rosa-servidoras/