The main causes are associated with dependence on alcohol or psychoactive substances (2,442), unemployment or job insecurity (2,347) or financial insufficiency associated with other reasons (2,017).
[7] The report also indicates the number of people who left living on the streets and obtained permanent housing, and that last year there were 485 cases, 39% more compared to 2019.
In a statement, the Ministry of Labour, Solidarity and Social Security states that there was an increase in the number of homeless people compared to the previous year, which it justifies with the “improvement in the diagnosis process throughout the country” and adds, “The Government has been committed to providing housing solutions for homeless people, in an approach that puts housing first and, from then on, working on their social inclusion and autonomy”.
[7] Currently, there is no official information on Portuguese homelessness in the national level, but a 2013 one-night survey conducted in Porto found 300 people sleeping on the street and 1,300 in temporary accommodation and initial unapproved data from the Social Security Institute shows that there were 4,420 people recorded in “active homeless situations” in 2013.
Portugal’s 2009-2016 strategy for tackling homelessness has received criticism due to a lack of political support, transparency and funding allocation.