“We are the UPA ourselves”: social support networks on the health care for the homeless in a smalltown

Abstract

The homeless is a growing public in cities, which reflects unequal and excluding social processes. Among the obstacles to access basic social rights is the denial of this public’s right to health care. Few studies seek to identify the strategies developed by the homeless due to the lack of public services and the barrier to access existing ones. Therefore, we sought to identify and analyze the therapeutic itineraries of this population in a small city. Triangulation of qualitative methods was used to collect research data through participant observations and semi-structured interviews. Seven men and one woman were interviewed, and the data set was analyzed through thematic analysis. The reports highlight the use of social support networks as a central source of health care through self-care, self-medication, use of popular medicine and day-by-day routine adjustments in the streets for health recovery. Such networks are also alternatives to the guarantee to access public services. The denial of the right to health, due to the process of social exclusion to which they are submitted, is evidenced. We emphasize the sharing of an expanded health vision, related to the social determinants of the health-disease process. Given this scenario, it is fundamental that the professional health care sector promote actions to allow the continuous and integral care of the homeless.