PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS OF CONTRACTING HOTEL ROOMS FOR THE POPULATION IN SITUATION OF HIGH SOCIAL VULNERABILITY IN THE CITY OF SÃO PAULO

Abstract

This article examines the process employed by the City of São Paulo to secure accommodations in the local hotel sector for individuals facing high social vulnerability. It analyzes the driving forces behind the public policy and the enabling legislation for the contracting of these services, as well as its intersection with the social assistance policy implemented in the municipality. This is a descriptive study that uses bibliographic and documentary research methods. The study reveals that the municipality leveraged the Covid-19 emergency to expand contracting hotel rooms for high-complexity social assistance services, and that, even after the pandemic, the contracting of hotel rooms for this purpose continued. Although the number of individuals in highly vulnerable situations in the city has increased, the available slots in the municipality’s protective network remain underutilized. In this context, the study highlights the need to diversify the provision of social assistance services to improve engagement with the intended population, as well as the need for strengthening qualitative assessments of public policy to enable a more accurate evaluation of its effectiveness.