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Project “Back to My Land”, Approved in First Round by Belo Horizonte City Council, Foresees the Voluntary Return of Homeless People to Their Natal Cities, with Logistical Support, Transport and Social Articulation
The Belo Horizonte City Council approved in the first round, this Tuesday (11), Bill 227/2025, authored by councilor Vile (PL). The proposal establishes the “Back to My Land” program, which aims to send homeless residents of the Minas Gerais capital to their cities of origin.
The text still needs to go through a second round of voting before proceeding for approval or veto by Mayor Álvaro Damião (União Brasil).
The program, according to the project, will be directed at socially vulnerable people who have family or community ties to the destination and wish to return.
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Homeless People: What the Program Foresees
Among the proposed actions are the referral of people to the responsible agencies to facilitate transport, logistical support for luggage, and assistance in issuing necessary travel documents.
Additionally, the text provides for mediation with social programs both in Belo Horizonte and in the destination municipality.
The project also determines the referral to local social services and coordination with institutions in the city to which the citizen intends to return.
The justification provided by councilor Vile is based on the 2022 Pop Rua Census, conducted by the Belo Horizonte City Hall and the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG).
According to the survey, 58.5% of homeless people in the capital were not born in Belo Horizonte.
For the author, returning to the hometown can represent an opportunity for a fresh start, as family ties help in recovery.
Divergences Among the Councilors
During the voting, the project divided opinions in the plenary. Councilor Pedro Patrus (PT) criticized the proposal and labeled it as hygienist. He stated that the text does not bring new solutions and merely repeats policies that already exist in the city.
According to Patrus, Belo Horizonte already has the Migrant Assistance Service, responsible for offering shelter vacancies and providing bus tickets to people who wish to return to their cities of origin.
“All of this already exists, it is already law, it is already a program. There is no need for another project. This text comes disguised as a public policy, but it is not. Belo Horizonte is a city for everyone and by everyone,” declared the parliamentarian.
Voting Results
The project was voted separately. Articles 1 to 5 received 29 votes in favor and eight against, while Article 6 was approved by 30 councilors and rejected by eight. The text will still undergo further analysis before the final vote.
Social Address for Homeless People
In the same session, councilors approved another project that creates the city’s “social address,” aimed at homeless people and immigrants without fixed housing.
Proposal number 14/2025 received 34 votes in favor and five against.
The measure will allow beneficiaries to have their own postal code for receiving mail, issuing documents, and registering in social programs.
According to the text, registration will be carried out by agencies designated by the municipal executive.
With information from G1.
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Uma pessoa reagiu a isso.