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CadÚnico has recently gained prominence in the debate over the situation of homeless people in Brazil. Following the recent decision by the Federal Supreme Court (STF), municipal administrations will have to renew the data in the Unified Registry (CadÚnico) to prepare an in-depth assessment of these people’s conditions.
The order issued by STF Justice Alexandre de Moraes requires city governments to update CadÚnico in the coming months. That said, the order, disclosed on the 25th, came after a review of a lawsuit filed by the parties Rede Sustentabilidade and PSOL and the Homeless Workers’ Movement, alleging negligence by public authorities in guaranteeing these people’s rights.
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As a result, the justice set a 120-day deadline for the Federal Government to present an action and monitoring plan for implementing a national policy for homeless people. Municipalities also have the same deadline to conduct a detailed assessment of the situation in their cities, which will serve as an indication of the number of homeless people by region.
The Meaning of CadÚnico
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CadÚnico is a federal government database used to administer various social and income transfer programs, such as Bolsa Família and the Continuous Cash Benefit (BPC). It is the only database in the country containing specific data on people experiencing homelessness since 2012.
Through CadÚnico, the Brazilian Observatory of Public Policies for People Experiencing Homelessness conducts monthly surveys of the number of people experiencing homelessness in all Brazilian municipalities.
According to the observatory’s survey, in May of this year, 210,695 people were living on the streets across the country, an increase of 14% compared with the same month in 2022.
In this regard, Professor André Dias, from the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) and coordinator of the Observatory, explained that the increase reflects not only the noticeable growth in the number of people experiencing homelessness in cities, but mainly an increase in public authorities’ efforts to include new people in CadÚnico and update existing records.
The Role of City Governments
Additionally, city governments play a crucial role in updating CadÚnico. Some city governments, however, have still not organized themselves to regularize the registry.
One example is São Paulo, which is home to approximately 25% of the country’s homeless population. CadÚnico data indicate a slight decrease from 53,188 people in this situation in March to 52,119 in May of this year.
However, a walk through the city reveals that this decrease is not noticeable on the streets. Therefore, greater effort is needed to update the data and reflect the reality of the situation.
The Registry Update Rate
São Paulo’s registry update rate is 63.5%, below the national average of 81.1% and the rates observed in other state capitals, such as Rio de Janeiro (83.6%), Belo Horizonte (81%), Salvador (80.8%), and Brasília (88.9%).
The São Paulo City Government reported that it conducts registrations at units of the Social Assistance Reference Centers (Cras) through prior appointments made by calling 156 or by fitting people into the schedules. Approximately 80,000 appointments are made for CadÚnico registration and updates, resulting in an average of 63,000 appointments per month.
In addition to São Paulo, other capitals also have large numbers of people living on the streets.
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In Rio de Janeiro, there were 13,407 people experiencing homelessness in May, an increase of 3.2% compared to March.
However, Belo Horizonte recorded 11,295 people experiencing homelessness in the CadÚnico in May, compared to 11,339 in March. Salvador saw an increase of 3%, reaching 7,577 people in May. Brasília, meanwhile, saw a slight variation, from 7,212 people in March to
