Homeless population increases by 500% in Belém over eight years The Federal Court ordered Belém City Hall and the Papa João XXIII Foundation (Funpapa) to adopt a series of measures to expand service to the homeless population that occupies the stairs and marquees of the Post Office building, on Avenida Presidente Vargas, in Belém. The sentence also consolidated R$ 361 thousand in fines imposed on the municipality for non-compliance with court decisions previous issues related to the reception of this population. The decision responds to requests presented by the Federal Public Ministry (MPF) during a public civil action originally proposed by Correios. According to the agency, inspections and technical reports identified that people who used the place as an improvised shelter faced problems such as lack of documentation, difficulties in accessing healthcare and lack of vacancies in public reception services. Of the total fines, R$122,000 refer to delays in installing a shelter. Another R$239,000 was invested because, according to the court decision, the psychological and social care plan and the service flowchart presented by the municipality were considered insufficient. The values ??will still be corrected in accordance with the law. The report sought out Belém City Hall to comment on the Federal Court's decision and asked what measures will be adopted to comply with the sentence. Until the publication of this article, I had not received a response. What determines the decision In addition to the fines, the Court established new obligations for Belém City Hall and Funpapa. Among the determinations are the carrying out of monthly diagnoses to identify the profile and needs of homeless people who occupy the area and voluntary and individualized referral to the assistance network, including Specialized Reference Centers for the Homeless Population (POP Centers) and reception units. The municipality will also have 30 days to prove that Espaço Acolher has at least 50 physical beds in operation, with a regular supply of food, drinking water, laundry, basic hygiene items and a safe place to store belongings. Within the same period, you must structure a psychological and social care plan aimed at people with chemical dependency. The sentence also provides for a daily fine of R$5,000 in case of non-compliance with the determinations and obliges the city hall to present monitoring reports every four months, for a period of one year. Growth of the homeless population The decision comes amid the increase in the homeless population in Belém. A survey by the Brazilian Observatory of Public Policies for Homeless People, based on data from the Single Registry, showed that the number of people in this condition in the capital of Pará grew by more than 500% between 2017 and 2025. In a report published by g1 in September 2025, experts pointed out that factors such as difficulty in access housing and the job market, family conflicts and the problematic use of alcohol and other drugs contributed to the increase in this population. At the time, the MPF also warned that the structure of the reception network was not keeping up with this growth and defended the expansion of public policies aimed at social assistance, health and housing, with coordinated action between the municipality, state and Union.