On the sidewalk of the Santa Felicitas Church, the
residents of Barracas
gather signatures.
They want to raise their complaint because from the last months of last year until now, living in the neighborhood has become an ordeal.
They denounce that since a change in the inhabitants of the Buenos Aires Government
Social Inclusion Center
located at Uspallata 831, insecurity and violence in the area increased.
"We were in the middle of Covid and in that place there were people, many elderly, living on the streets, nothing ever happened. But in September or October of last year, they evicted all the grandparents and brought 'people,' "says Patricia,
one
of the neighbors.
"These people are always on the street, drunk and intimidating," she adds.
"The reality is that we are experiencing total hardship because since they put up these hostels
we have lost our peace of mind.
The boys can no longer go out alone, we are permanently watched. There are more and
more robberies in the neighborhood
," says Miriam, another of the neighbors. .
From the Ministry of Human Development and Habitat of the City they explain that in this center live, mainly,
people in a situation of street or social vulnerability
.
They are provided with a bed, showers and four meals a day.
In CABA, there are 38 of these centers.
In addition, they point out, they are given workshops on emotional health, problematic consumption, preparation of CVs and school support.
"All workshops are optional and voluntary," they clarify.
According to official data, the center located in Uspallata has a capacity for
130 people and is currently 90% occupied
.
"The idea of these centers is that people have guaranteed minimum conditions, they can enter and leave freely, they are not interned," the ministry said.
However, when
Clarín
asked how many professionals -psychologists, social workers, among others- from the City work in the space,
they omitted the answer
.
In the videos taken by the neighbors, violent fights
can be seen , harassment of passing women and even substance use on public roads.
"Last year they found a femicide who was hiding there," says one of the neighbors who, out of fear, like the rest of those consulted for this note, she does not want to give her name.
"We saw the entire operation when the police arrived, the man was from Córdoba," she adds.
"They spend all their time drugging in full view of the entire neighborhood," says Miriam.
"A person who came to my house, their cell phone was stolen and then they went there," says María, referring to the house that houses the center.
In addition, they explain that they have made repeated calls to 911 and gone to the police station to complain about the situation.
"Nobody gives us a solution"
, they sentence.
"We are not against inclusion centers. What happens is that here there
is no type of support or containment
for these people," the neighbors say.
"They go out, they steal, they enter a building, they yell things at the women and girls when they pass, they drink on the sidewalk, at night you can imagine what it could be, they also smashed the windows of several cars," they say.
Some neighbors argue that the center is no longer a place for homeless people and that it houses others with
criminal proceedings
.
In this regard, from Human Development they flatly denied that there are
people on probation or detainees
in that place . It is an inclusion center for people in street situations.
"They entered our building twice," says Patricia.
"After the first robbery, some things were found inside the center."
From the ministry they also deny it and point to "comments and rumors from neighbors."
"A whole situation was set up like
neighborhood gossip
," they say.
"They know everything, they are watching us 24 hours a day, watching us leave, what time we arrive, what my car is, who my children are," says an anguished Patricia.
"By God, nobody takes care of my family, so it seems to me that we all have to be here to take care of each other," she adds.
"Everyone began to point to this center, it does not take away the insecurity in Barracas, but assigning it to that space seems false and unreasonable
to us
," they say from the ministry.
Meanwhile, the residents are looking for a solution to the insecurity situation that has grown abruptly since the end of 2022.
"We see them steal and then get into that house," they said.
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