Social ruptures and the everyday life of homeless people: an ethnographic study

ABSTRACT

Objective  To discover the generators of disruptions in social support networks and identify the everyday life and projects of life of homeless people.

Method  Ethnographic study conducted between 2012 and 2013 in Ribeirão Preto -SP, Brazil. The participants were fifteen homeless people. Data were collected through video-recorded interviews addressing histories of life and a field diary. Data analysis was based on Habermas’ Theory of Communicative Action.

Results  Results revealed that the participants’ families have faced inequalities for many generations and that everyday life is marked by violence and death, poverty and exclusion, disrupted social networks, loneliness, alcohol and drug consumption, and other socially determined diseases.

Conclusion  The situation of living on the streets stems from several factors present in the organization of the Brazilian society and social determinants condition the life and health of homeless people.

Poverty; Social vulnerability; Social inequity; Social determinants of health; Qualitative research