A December 31, 2024, the portrait of a homeless person on the continent is a Portuguese man, single and with little education. Lisbon, Alentejo and North These were the areas that concentrated the most people in this situation.
The number of homeless people in Portugal was 14,476 at the end of last year, 1,348 more than the previous year, according to data released this Thursday.
The document differentiates between homeless people, who live on the streets, and people without a home, who come to places such as temporary relocation centers.
Of the total number of homeless people, 9,403 were homeless people and the remaining 5,073 were homeless people.
By zones
As zonas Lisbon, Alentejo and North they were the ones with the highest concentration of homeless people, with, in the specific case of homeless people, a high number of situations in the interior of Alentejo and the Algarve.
According to the data now released, on December 31st of last year, the municipalities with the most homeless people per thousand residents were Monforte (87), Mourão (68), Moura (47) and Avis (33). But it was the Lisbon metropolitan area that was the champion in the number of homeless or homeless couples.
By county, Lisboa was by far the one with the most homeless people, 3,122, a year ago, followed by the municipality of Moura (634), Porto (553), Aveiro (488) and Beja (369). Of the Top 20 municipalities, Braga was the one with the fewest homeless people, 174.
The survey indicates that a typical homeless person is a man, between 45 and 64 years old, single, Portuguese, with little education and living off social inclusion income. The biggest reason for the situation is related to the unemployment or job insecurity.
In numbers, 68% of homeless people on the continent were men, with Alentejo being the region where there are the most homeless women (46%). In the Lisbon metropolitan area, women make up just 22%.
By age and place of birth
Regarding ages, in the “portrait” of the continent, a large percentage of homeless people stands out very young people in Alentejo46%, when nationally it is only 21%. But it is in Lisbon Metropolitan Area has the highest percentage of single homeless people (60%). In Alentejo it is 55%.
Regarding naturalness, the Lisbon Metropolitan Area is the region on the continent with the most homeless people in Portuguese-speaking African countries23%, and although residual (4%), it is the Algarve with the most homeless people in the European Union.
Already educationwith a predominance at national level of basic education – 2nd or 3rd cycle, the Alentejo region stands out because 36% of homeless people do not have any completed level of education. And on the other hand, the 4% of homeless people with higher education in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area stand out.
Leaving homelessness
The data also indicates that last year 1,345 people left homelessness and obtained permanent housing, most of them in the North and Center areas. Barcelos was the municipality where the most people stopped being homelessfollowed by Faro and then Loures and Braga.
Last year, data indicated that in 2023 the number of homeless people had reached 13,128, an increase of 23% compared to the previous year.
The Homeless People Characterization Survey – December 31, 2024 is part of a set of tasks defined in National Strategy for the Integration of Homeless People (ENIPSSA 2017-2023), extended until December 31, 2024.
