Health needs and access of homeless people

to understand the homeless population's health needs and to characterize their experiences with accessing the Health Care Network.

a qualitative, descriptive, and exploratory study, conducted with homeless individuals who use a reception center in a medium-sized municipality in the countryside of São Paulo. Twelve semi-structured interviews were conducted and analyzed using the historical-cultural approach and Vygotsky's explanatory method.

the information gathered supported the development of three core topics of meaning and sense: The experience of living on the streets; Major health problems and concerns; Health care and access.

the Brazilian Health System is able to be active in the homeless population's lives, but the complexity of the phenomenon points to the need for coordinated attention and care actions that go beyond the health sector.