VIDEO | Homelessness rises in Fortaleza and forces families to occupy idle real state

It isn"t necessary to walk many blocks to see the though reality that devastates Ceará"s capital city: whole families that, without a house, have the streets as the only alternative to a place to call home. According to the municipal street population census, carried out in February this year, 2,653 people live on the streets of the city of Fortaleza. This number represents a rise of more than 53% when compared to the previous survey, carried out in 2014.

It has been about eight months since the neighborhood, villages, and favelas movement has been occupying an old palace of justice decommissioned 7 years ago

"We talk about homelessness, but the problems and issues of the people living on the streets don"t begin with homelessness. Before loosing their houses, before going to live on the streets, researches shows that there is a previous poverty condition", says Carlos Eduardo Esmeraldo Filho, from the NGO Fórum de Rua.

Also on What's Happening in Brazil: In Culture Talk, a musical and dance genre that was born in the city of São Paulo in the 1950s by mixing cultural elements from Brazil and United States: Samba Rock.

Listen to Marcela Brandão. She is a singer, songwriter, and violinist. Her songs mix more traditional Brazilian music with pop elements and some experimental sounds.

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