The Survey of Usage Scenes in Capitals (lecuca) 2021/2022 showed that the influx of new visitors to Cracolândia, in São Paulo, in 2021, was the lowest in the historical series (20.2%), started in 2016, but that there was an increase in the prevalence of old visitors (57, 4%, for at least five years) and 39.2% (for 10 years or more). The number of homeless people who responded to the survey also increased (66.3%), while 41% said they had no support network. Of these, 40% rely only on service professionals in the region.
“The decrease in influx should be due to preventive actions, but unfortunately we have no information [de] that these things were done. So, it is more likely that the decrease has more to do with the increase in operations, that is, with the dispersion of regulars, so that they are not concentrated in these regions, than [com] hold back new chemical dependents so they don’t migrate to the scene. We have data, but we have no proof that [isso] it was caused by prevention actions,” says Lecuca coordinator Clarice Sandi Madruga, an affiliated professor at the Department of Psychiatry at the Federal University of São Paulo (Unifesp).
In 2016, the arrival of new visitors was around 43%, rising to 39% in May 2017, to 28% in June 2017 and to 26% in 2019, reaching 20% in 2021.
The survey was carried out by Unifesp at the request of the National Secretariat for Drug Care and Prevention (Senapred), an agency of the Ministry of Citizenship, responsible for formulating and implementing public policies aimed at reducing the demand for drugs in Brazil, and shows the profile of open use scenes (places where drug users gather) in three Brazilian capitals: São Paulo, Fortaleza and Brasília.
The results for São Paulo are from the June 2021 data collection, with updates of the dimensional results in April 2022, considering population movements in the territory – and incorporate comparisons of the historical series since 2016. The main collection for São Paulo took place before the relocation of the flow to Praça Princesa Isabel and followed this process, monitoring the total occupation of the site and the subsequent dispersion. The results from Fortaleza come from data collection in August 2021 and those from Brasília were collected between April and May 2022.
In São Paulo, there was also a decrease in the proportion of visitors without any paid activity (68.7%), of which half practice recycling activities (52.3%). There was a decrease in the proportion of women (in 2019, 23.7% and in 2021, 22.5%) and trans (7.5% in 2019 to 3.7% in 2021) in the territory.
“This proportion of minorities in the usage scene has everything to do with the frequency of operations. Generally, when there is a moment of police action, this population decreases, because it is more vulnerable. It is also related to the fact that those who remain are more serious, with a prevalence of comorbidities, indicators of psychiatric disorder, emergency search, which in these minorities is much higher, since only the most serious remain”, explains Clarice.
Actions
The city hall of São Paulo informs that the demand for treatment has increased since the dispersion of users. The referral of users to the Integrated Therapeutic Welcoming Service (Siat II) grew almost three times between January and December 2022, according to information from the approach team of the Municipal Health Department, which, in January, referred 27 people and in December , 72 abusive users of alcohol and other drugs for equipment in the municipal network.
According to the city hall, the number of approaches made by health teams increased by 34% between January and December (from 3,150 to 4,213). Approaches by social assistance teams increased by 22% between January and December. In January, there were 3,029 and in December, 3,698. For other equipment in the social assistance network, this number went from 789 people referred in January to 1,622 in December.
The Municipality’s Integrated Therapeutic Reception Service has been operating since May last year for emergency care, at Rua Helvetia, 876. The unit provides on-site care and streamlines referrals to other services in the health and social assistance network.
According to the city hall, since May last year, ten new teams from the Street Office have joined the approach and service teams: four at Siat Emergencial and six in the regions of Glicério, Santa Cecília and Bom Retiro.
In July, two more alcohol and drug psychosocial care centers (Caps AD) were inaugurated in the central region of the city, one on Rua Porto Seguro and the other on Rua Anhanguera.
In September, the city hall delivered the Siat III Penha, at Rua Coronel Rodovalho, 275, with the capacity to accommodate 50 patients, who are monitored and can remain in the service for up to two years, extended or reduced according to the unique therapeutic project of each case.
The City Hall informed that, in February of this year, the Prolonged Care Service (SCP) in Alcohol and Drugs will be inaugurated. It is a new equipment that aims to prolong the treatment of users who were admitted to hospitals and still do not have conditions for family return or outpatient care. As a way to reduce relapses and prevent users from returning to abusive use on the streets, the SCP will offer treatment, medication and therapeutic workshops.
