Homelessness in Mexico

Load video

Why people are homeless in Mexico

Homelessness in Mexico is a multi-factorial issue. Below are some of the most common reasons why people live without a home in the beautiful, festive city.

Poverty

Poverty is a common denominator in most homeless people in the City. According to the Non-Governmental Organizations NGOs, 40% of the total population of Mexico live in poverty.

Immigration

Mexico is an economic hub; people around the world are attracted by wealth. They migrate to the city for such of high salary. However, most of them are not educated enough to get decent jobs with a good salary; hence they cannot afford to pay for their expenses.

Mexico is an expensive city. Most parts of the city are occupied by high-income earners. Low-income earners are pushed out of the city, some end up homeless.

Overpopulation

Mexico City is among the top 5 biggest cities in the World with a population of 126.40 Million in 2022. It is the world's most populated street. According to its size and population, it's clear that people exhaust the available resources hence causing some to be homeless.

Earthquake

Mexico City is prone to earthquakes. On September 19^th, 2017, the magnitude 7.1 quake caused structural damage to the City and neighboring states resulting in homelessness. It killed 331 people, destroyed 33 buildings and 3800 were partly damaged. People were forced to make camps outside the buildings they were living in, to protect their property and demand support.

Drugs and substance abuse

Many people in Mexico abuse drugs. In Tijuana, 90% of homeless people are addicted. These results in mental health issues. Homelessness is indeed associated with an increase in mental disorders; those already experiencing mental disorders are at risk of becoming homeless at some point in their lives.

Domestic violence

Homelessness in Mexico is tied to domestic violence. The lack of affordable houses puts the lives of such women at risk; hence they end up staying in abusive relationships. Most landlords in the City have adopted ‘zero tolerance of crime’ policies which allows them to penalize victims of domestic violence or even evict them. According to a survey done in 2003, a quarter of homeless women have been physically abused.

The parts of Mexico with the greatest problems with homelessness

The exact number of homeless people cannot be determined but estimates have been made. According to the global survey done by the United Nation in 2005, 50%of people living in Mexico City live in informal settlements. In 2011, the institute of social assistance an integration recorded 3467 men and 547 women were living in the streets of the City. In 2012 NGOs estimated 15000-30000 people live on the streets.

Tijuana is known for homelessness. In 2015, approximately 1800 homeless people live on the street majority being migrants. In August 2017, the ministry of social development carried out a census of homeless people. According to the results,6774 people were homeless,4354 stay in public spaces while 2400 stayed in private shelters.5912 happen to be men while 862 were women. The majority of the people were between the ages of 18-49 years.40% of the homeless people are immigrants.

In 2019, Mexico estimated 3241 people experiencing homelessness in any given day reports the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)

What Mexico is doing to help the currently homeless

Provision of support

Most families in Mexico are united. Families are supportive of each other. In case one needs food or even a roof over their heads, they can surely get help. Even though there are cases of homelessness in the city, they are caused by factors that are common in most countries.

After the earthquake, 25 workers visited victims of the tragedy in the City and neighboring areas.

Provision of opportunities

Mi Valedor is a street magazine in Mexico which means a hand up from the cracks. It generates income for the homeless and vulnerable people in the city.

Micro-entrepreneurs such as vendors buy magazines at a low-cost price and sell them at a profit. This ensures the homeless people in the city make a few coins. They also offer art, textile, and photography workshops to support the homeless. This helps them to recover their social skills.

Provision of homeless shelter

Casa Alianza Mexico (CAM) is a home shelter that provides specialized care to young children between the age of 12-18. They protect children who have experienced violence, human trafficking, sexual harassment, etc. The organization is planning to open a new organization and add 90 beds for young people facing homelessness.

Take one leave one initiative

‘Take one leave one,’ is a slogan that originated from Mexico City. It means if you are cold pick one if you want to help, leave one. It is an amazing idea that spread to the whole continent of Europe. Many homeless people can survive the winter period because of the donation. Anyone with an extra coat could hang on the streets outside a church or a community. Local printers made burners to create awareness and reach out to more people.

What the government is doing to prevent future homelessness in Mexico

Monitoring program

Mexico's government is planning to implement an information system for the street population that will enable them to monitor and take care of them.

Provision of temporary homes

Many people lost their homes as a result of the September 29^th earthquake. The government has provided run shelters to earthquake victims. The government has even cut off the food supply to tents to encourage the victims to move to the shelters provided.

Provision of medical services

It is hard to access medical care if one is poor. It is even harder if one is homeless. With the help of government programs, general healthcare and mental services are taken to where homeless people are.

Rehabilitation services

With the help of the federal government, around 600 people were able to get rehabilitation services. Most of them were deported migrants in the Tijuana River canal. According to government data, Tijuana has the highest cases of drug addiction.

What measures the government can implement to end homelessness in Mexico

Deport illegal immigrants.

Immigration is a major problem in Mexico. It is the root cause of these issues of homelessness. According to research,40% of homeless people are immigrants. The government can come up with a way of deporting illegal immigrants from Mexico City.

Upholding human rights

The government needs to come to terms with the fact that homeless people have rights likes any other citizen in Mexico. The government can implement policies that respect the rights of such people.

Provide affordable houses.

Life in Mexico is generally expensive. The government can subsidize houses so that everyone in the City gets to afford one.

Avoid social cleansing

The government of Mexico is mistreating homeless people by removing them off the city. They can come up with better ways of expelling them. They can provide them with alternative shelters before they get stable.

What the citizens can do to help end homelessness in Mexico

Homelessness in the City of Mexico is not something that can be single-handed. Citizens need to come together and do the following to help the homeless:

Understand them

One of the biggest problems citizens make is misunderstanding homeless people in Mexico. Most homeless people did not choose their current situation; rather personal challenges and societal failures to address basic human issues lead them there. They all have a story. Citizens can listen to them and give them a shoulder to lean on.

Educate others

Not everyone is well informed on the nature of homelessness in Mexico. Not because they are ignorant. Probably it is because this issue of homelessness is not affecting them directly. Citizens can make good use of their social media platforms and create awareness for all Mexicans.

Citizens can share what they have learned about homelessness. Together they can come up with the best ways to end this crisis. This way they can eliminate misconceptions and stereotypes.

Change language

Citizens need to stop viewing homeless people as harmful, marginalized, lazy, alcoholic, and unemployed people. Instead, they can refer to them as people experiencing homelessness. Citizens need to first see people and then the situation they are facing, it might be temporary.

Acknowledge and embrace them

All human beings are social beings. We all want to be treated with love and respect. We all appreciate kind words and a gleeful smile. Who doesn’t? Homeless people are no exception. Citizens can learn to treat homeless people the way they would want to be treated. They can give them the same respect they would accord to other people.

It is worth noting that despite not having a physical house, homeless people have big personal space. They have gone through a lot in life such that they have built an invisible wall around them. Not all of them are kind. Citizens need to respect their space and go easy on them.

Donate to causes that help them

‘Nobody is so poor he has nothing to give, and nobody is so rich he has nothing to receive.’ We all have something to give. Citizens need to provide homeless people with what they need. Most of the time it is basic needs. It doesn’t have to be costly. Citizens can donate good clothes or shoes that they no longer wear. They can cook excess food, pack, and deliver it to homeless people on their way to work.

Citizens can join organizations that work towards helping the homeless. They can conserve the environment by serving homeless people with excess food instead of wasting it. Money is also a necessity, consequently, citizens can avoid giving them cash directly; instead, they can donate to Nonprofit organizations. That way they can all benefit.

Teach them

Education is key; moreover, most homeless people cannot afford school fees or the resources necessary to join an institution. In the process of spending time with them, citizens can equip themselves with skills they can use to get jobs so that they can support themselves in the future.

Citizens can also employ or rather help homeless people get jobs by recommending them. Nationals can also encourage people to give them jobs.

Final Thoughts

The points above clearly show homelessness is a salient challenge in the City. However, with deliberate actions, Mexico can surely concur this phenomenon.