Homelessness

IN 2024, HOGAR DE CRISTO ASSISTED 7,684 USERS IN 71 PROGRAMS.

Homelessness in Chile

The factors that contribute to this problem are multiple, including the lack of affordable housing, long histories of deprivation, social exclusion, traumatic events, personal crises, mental health issues, and addictions. However, the primary reason remains the affordable housing crisis. 

Due to the state’s current data collection methods, no comprehensive record exists showing the number of individuals experiencing homelessness. Government statistics and the census indicate nearly 20,000; however, established charities addressing this issue for decades, such as Hogar de Cristo, estimate the number varies between 40,000 and 50,000.

Services offered by Hogar de Cristo to people experiencing homelessness

Homeless outreach and welcoming

They provide psychosocial support to those experiencing homelessness, either at the program’s facilities or on the street. Professionals and volunteers go out into the streets and neighborhoods day and night.

Temporary shelter

They aim to improve the social inclusion of homeless individuals aged 50 and older through psychosocial support. These shelters are temporary and operate in a flexible environment. They emphasize person-centered practices, focusing on personal growth, peer connections, and rebuilding ties with the social community.

Shelters

They offer overnight lodging, meals, and essential support services to homeless individuals at locations nationwide. They act as gathering spaces for the most marginalized individuals and individual and group volunteers involved in charitable work.

Housing First program,

The program financed by the Ministerios de Desarrollo Social and Vivienda has been in place since 2019. It offers permanent housing to people over 50 who have experienced homelessness in the long term. It’s a well-known model launched in the U.S. in the 90s

The Housing First Program prioritizes providing permanent housing to vulnerable people facing homelessness based on a critical concept: Basic needs and dignity must be met before attending to anything else, including regular psychosocial support, to achieve social, family, and work integration.

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Hogar de Cristo USA