With the low temperatures recorded this week, the influx of homeless people seeking protection from the cold in the municipal shelter has increased considerably in recent days. As night fell on Wednesday, June 1, there was a long line of people waiting to enter the facilities of the bus terminal, on the first ring road and Grigotá avenue, where it has been operating since last month. The thermometer showed 11 degrees centigrade.
Before being able to get the long-awaited bed and a warm blanket, and leave behind the pieces of cardboard from the street, each of them must register, after reviewing their belongings and their status – not having consumed alcohol – fill out a social file and undergo an antigen test. The whole process takes approximately 30 minutes. Once inside, already in the place where they will spend the night, they wait for the hot dinner. They can watch TV and if they want, they can play cards. Get to know the testimony of four of its guests.
Staff take the covid-19 test to one of the sheltered / Photo: Ricardo Montero
The best known among all is called Johnny. They respect her and follow her instructions. During the day, he is a collector of plastic and cardboard. All he has in his possession is a black backpack where he carries his clothes. She says that she has lived on the street since she was a 6-year-old child and that she does not have any identity document. Every winter she seeks shelter in the shelter.
Jhonny is the most respected and loved of the group. He has been attending the shelter for years /Photo: Ricardo Montero
On the other side of the room we find Ismael, 62, who as soon as the conversation begins shows the Bible that he carries with him in a fanny pack and says with total lucidity: “I changed my life on May 3, 1992, in the PC-4 church in Palmasola, where I was imprisoned for 8 years.”
On her bed she has a small wooden box, there she keeps creams and small cloths, with which he earns his living as a shoe shiner. On his second night in the place, Ismael is happy and says he will stay until the shelter closes. He will later sleep on the sidewalk outside the Los Pocitos hospital, in the middle of cardboard and whatever he finds in his hand, as he has been doing for quite some time.
Currently, there are seven women registered in the municipal shelter, they all sleep together, one next to the other. It’s the first night of Alejandra -27 years old- who arrived in the company of her best friend, with whom she has lived for 4 years next to the Mother India roundabout.
We find her determined to re-enter a rehab center to treat her clefa addiction. And she has already taken the first step, with the help of the Government is on the verge of what it defines as the search for a better future. “I have no contact with my family, my mother lives here and I haven’t seen my father for 16 years, because he went to Spain.”
Alejandra (right) rests with her friend who is recovering from being hit by a car over the weekend / Photo: Ricardo Montero
The motivation you have Mario, 48, wants to stay away from alcohol to keep in touch with his 5-year-old daughter, Micaela, who lives with her mother in La Cuchilla. He survives with what he earns taking care of cars in the streets surrounding the San Juan Dios hospital, where he spends the night on a sidewalk with a group of 10 people. On weekends she goes to La Mansión during mass hours.
The municipal shelter has 100 beds, but an average of 80 people come every day. Its operation is scheduled until July, everything will depend on the weather. Meanwhile, Santa Cruz is preparing to continue experiencing colder days.
According to the National Service of Meteorology and Hydrology (Senamhi), the low temperatures will continue until Friday (with a minimum of 14 degrees and a maximum of 28 degrees). For the weekend, a slight increase in temperature is expected (19 and 30 degrees). Starting next Monday, a new cold front will enter the entire department.
With the low temperatures recorded this week, the influx of homeless people seeking protection from the cold in the municipal shelter has increased considerably in recent days. As night fell on Wednesday, June 1, there was a long line of people waiting to enter the facilities of the bus terminal, on the first ring road and Grigotá avenue, where it has been operating since last month. The thermometer showed 11 degrees centigrade.
Before being able to get the long-awaited bed and a warm blanket, and leave behind the pieces of cardboard from the street, each of them must register, after reviewing their belongings and their status – not having consumed alcohol – fill out a social file and undergo an antigen test. The whole process takes approximately 30 minutes. Once inside, already in the place where they will spend the night, they wait for the hot dinner. They can watch TV and if they want, they can play cards. Get to know the testimony of four of its guests.
Staff take the covid-19 test to one of the sheltered / Photo: Ricardo Montero
The best known among all is called Johnny. They respect her and follow her instructions. During the day, he is a collector of plastic and cardboard. All he has in his possession is a black backpack where he carries his clothes. She says that she has lived on the street since she was a 6-year-old child and that she does not have any identity document. Every winter she seeks shelter in the shelter.
Jhonny is the most respected and loved of the group. He has been attending the shelter for years /Photo: Ricardo Montero
On the other side of the room we find Ismael, 62, who as soon as the conversation begins shows the Bible that he carries with him in a fanny pack and says with total lucidity: “I changed my life on May 3, 1992, in the PC-4 church in Palmasola, where I was imprisoned for 8 years.”
On her bed she has a small wooden box, there she keeps creams and small cloths, with which he earns his living as a shoe shiner. On his second night in the place, Ismael is happy and says he will stay until the shelter closes. He will later sleep on the sidewalk outside the Los Pocitos hospital, in the middle of cardboard and whatever he finds in his hand, as he has been doing for quite some time.
Currently, there are seven women registered in the municipal shelter, they all sleep together, one next to the other. It’s the first night of Alejandra -27 years old- who arrived in the company of her best friend, with whom she has lived for 4 years next to the Mother India roundabout.
We find her determined to re-enter a rehab center to treat her clefa addiction. And she has already taken the first step, with the help of the Government is on the verge of what it defines as the search for a better future. “I have no contact with my family, my mother lives here and I haven’t seen my father for 16 years, because he went to Spain.”
Alejandra (right) rests with her friend who is recovering from being hit by a car over the weekend / Photo: Ricardo Montero
The motivation you have Mario, 48, wants to stay away from alcohol to keep in touch with his 5-year-old daughter, Micaela, who lives with her mother in La Cuchilla. He survives with what he earns taking care of cars in the streets surrounding the San Juan Dios hospital, where he spends the night on a sidewalk with a group of 10 people. On weekends she goes to La Mansión during mass hours.
The municipal shelter has 100 beds, but an average of 80 people come every day. Its operation is scheduled until July, everything will depend on the weather. Meanwhile, Santa Cruz is preparing to continue experiencing colder days.
According to the National Service of Meteorology and Hydrology (Senamhi), the low temperatures will continue until Friday (with a minimum of 14 degrees and a maximum of 28 degrees). For the weekend, a slight increase in temperature is expected (19 and 30 degrees). Starting next Monday, a new cold front will enter the entire department.
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