International News

SAO PAULO, (APP/AFP) – Even under three blankets, Marcio Carvalho can’t stop shaking as he seeks shelter on the streets of Brazil’s biggest and richest city, Sao Paulo.
The teeming central streets of a city that is home to 20 million people are deserted at night except for members of the estimated 16,000 homeless population.
And while much of Brazil basks in tropical conditions, a chilly wave in the first days of the southern hemisphere winter has already claimed the lives of six people this month.
Among their few lifelines are volunteers from the aid group Anjos da Noite (Angels of the Night), who distribute food, water and blankets to the hundreds sleeping rough.
Carvalho, 41, who moved to Sao Paulo from the northeastern state of Bahia to improve his life, said he has been homeless for three years.
“I was working as a plumber but I separated (from his wife) and I couldn’t stay in the house,” he said. “That’s how I ended up here.”
“Life on the street is very difficult and dangerous,” he added.
“I’ve been attacked several times. They’ve stolen my things and I’ve been very cold. I’ve had a drinking problem since I got here. To live on the street you have to drink.”
Cold is his latest enemy. Temperatures hit a 22-year low in early June to 3.5 degrees Celsius (38 degrees Fahrenheit).
Homeless people and local media also accused security officers of stripping street people of their blankets and mattresses, prompting an outcry.
The leftist mayor, Fernando Haddad, initially said he didn’t want squatters occupying public squares with shacks and other gear, but later backtracked,making clear that personal belongings can’t be taken from the homeless.