Homeless in São Paulo
According to statistics by the Secretary of Social Assistance of Sao Paulo, there are about 12,000 homeless people in São Paulo; most live of begging for money and food in the downtown area of São Paulo.
Since 1988, the city government has been maintaining a social service to help the homeless; a law was passed in 1997 determining that the city must provide assistance to the homeless.
The Secretary maintains 35 shelters in the city (the word in Portuguese is ‘albergue’, which also means hostel), with a combined capacity of 8,000 people. The shelters offer a bed, a place to shower and a soupper; in case of need, the wardens send the homeless to health centers and hospitals.
There is a staff of 354 people dedicated to finding homeless people and trying to bring them to the dormitories. In the head office, a team of six people runs a call center (phone: 3228-5554 and 3228-2092) which the population uses to inform about homeless. 
A fleet of 44 kombis answers the population calls and, as well, drives around town by night looking for homeless (photo).
Frequently, the homeless refuse going to shelters, because over there they are invited (by the wardens and by the other guests) to take a shower, which many don’t want to, and because some rules are enforced (no drinking, no loud conversations, etc). The Assistance teams can not oblige anyone to go to the shelters.
As winter comes and temperature falls, it becomes easier for the assistance agents to persuade homeless into going to a shelter.