Sheltered children and adolescents have usually experienced many forms of exclusion throughout their lives: abandonment, domestic violence and economic, social, cultural and political deprivation. This study has investigated prospects for the future among sheltered children and adolescents after their homeless condition experiences. The investigation was conducted with 14 participants of three public shelters in the municipality of Vila Velha-ES. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and subjected to content analysis as proposed by Bardin. It was found in the participants' reports the presence of topics like the experience of family breakdown, the intention to return to the birth family and the belief in the possibility of transforming their reality through studying and work. It is appropriate to discuss the deployment of public policies to this population in the sense of a comprehensive care provision in order to promote their inclusion in society.
children and adolescents; homeless condition; prospects for the future; public shelters