Project implementation: Brazil
Project development: Brazil
FICA is part of the Community Property Association, which has been working since 2015 to provide access to decent housing for low-income families, acquiring and managing properties in well-located areas, through the provision of the Social Housing Service.
Since 2023, FICA's Morar Primeiro Program has been providing housing to 60 previously homeless people through a partnership with Father Júlio Lancellotti. The program is based on the international Housing First methodology, which advocates that housing is the first (and most essential) step toward social reintegration for people in situations of extreme vulnerability.
We brought to the Biennial the program developed for the population most vulnerable to the impacts of the climate crisis: homeless people—those who contribute least to climate change and suffer most from its effects, lacking shelter and experiencing extremely fragile socioeconomic and health conditions. The Morar Primeiro program is a compelling response to the intersection of the climate and housing crises, guaranteeing safe housing, support for accessing income and employment, the right to the city, and improved health, education, and citizenship.
To make the program viable, FICA acquired vacant and underutilized houses and apartments near the areas where the families served by the program lived. FICA manages the property, condominium, and social services, and the families receive ongoing and personalized psychosocial support. Our multidisciplinary team includes social workers, psychologists, lawyers, architects, and urban planners, as well as a network of partners from various fields and specialties.
Our installation is a 1:1 scale floor plan of a typical Morar Primeiro apartment. Upon entering this space, Biennial visitors have access to data on the impact of the Morar Primeiro program and the FICA Social Housing Service. On the exterior of the floor plan, we present data on the housing crisis in Brazil and São Paulo. The installation is complemented by a projection, on one of the Oca walls, of a photo of the underside of the viaduct occupied by the families before they moved into the Morar Primeiro units.