In collaboration with the Parish of St. Francis of Assisi, they have undergone an economic and social study and need this help. A network with public and private social assistance institutions also offers them particular formation.
The Parish of St. Francis of Assisi, located in the Palmeiras Complex of the Jangurussu neighborhood (50,000 inhabitants in the most recent official census of 2010), has become the center of operations of the St. Augustine Psychosocial Center, which is part of the solidarity actions organized by the Beneficent Association of the Augustinian Recollects in Fortaleza, the capital city of the Brazilian state of Ceara.
The primary function of the Piscosocial Centre is to offer comprehensive prevention and social education for low-income families to monitor their actual situation, advise for the reception of public social care and prevent the development of situations that lead, especially to minor girls, to be victims of abuse, exploitation, violence, dropping out or dropping out of school.
The families that receive preferential attention are those in which greater vulnerability is observed based on known, objectifiable, and measurable factors: family income, employment condition, type of residence or situation of substandard housing, history of abuses, or problems with the Law in the immediate environment.
Special attention is given to single-parent families in which the head of the household is a woman who has previously suffered abuse, ill-treatment, or exploitation since the best way to avoid repeating stories is to offer assistance, advice, and accompaniment.
In addition to frequent interviews and family visits, this includes providing food support and channeling the most severe cases to the public assistance network, with frequent meetings with social workers and other aid and support organizations.
The neighborhood of Jangurussu appeared at the beginning of the 90s of the last century in the surroundings of the then-largest garbage dump in the city. Although it was deactivated 25 years ago, its consequences are visible today in an artificial mountain 40 meters high. The vegetation seen today hides garbage that was never treated and contaminates the land and water, both surface and in the water tables.
Up to 3,000 people daily made a living rummaging through garbage for what to recycle or resell. The neighborhood was born without infrastructure, water, electricity, sanitation network, or paved streets. Although some conditions have improved, it still lacks a minimum level of services.
The 75 families that receive monitoring from the Psychosocial Center account for 397 people, of which 187 are over 18 years old (47%), 68 adolescents between 12 and 18 years old (17%), and 142 children under 12 years old (36%). During the year 2022, they received six tons of basic foodstuffs.
The program includes a monthly visit of the heads of families to the facilities of the Psychosocial Center, a place provided by the Parish. There they receive training with volunteers and specialists in hygiene, care of minors or older adults, and how to access aid and public services. They are also helped to access all the social benefits they are entitled to, pensions, and health treatments.
Various entities collaborate through donations to make this care possible. One company that collaborated to deliver necessities is “Mãe Rainha Urbanismo”, a company born in 2001 to build and market houses and collaborates with the St. Agustine Psychosocial Center.
