Access to health care for people experiencing homelessness on Avenida Paulista: barriers and perceptions.

OBJECTIVE

To describe the perceptions of homeless people on Avenida Paulista in the city of São Paulo regarding access to health devices in the region.

METHOD: This is a qualitative research conducted with 10 people who were homeless on Avenida Paulista in January 2019. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, and analysis of the findings was made using hermeneutics-dialectics. Two categories of results were created: Health services accessed in the region by homeless people; Barriers to health access faced by homeless people on Avenida Paulista, São Paulo. This study obtained ethical approval.

RESULTS

Seeking emergency services occurs as the main gateway for homeless people in the region, and among the barriers faced, prejudice is placed as the main phenomenon.

CONCLUSION

It is necessary to consider the specificities of this population, understand their conceptions of health-disease and their trajectories so that services can be improved and access to health for this vulnerable and growing group can be guaranteed.