Vínculos estabelecidos por pessoas em situação de rua em iniciativas econômicas de Porto Alegre, Brasil

Abstract

In Porto Alegre, homeless people or with homeless backgrounds organize themselves in fronts that contradict their negative representation in the media and challenge the consolidated academic knowledge about them. This article analyzes the bond established by these people with two collective economic initiatives of the city, and how this contributes to the satisfaction of their material and subjective needs, and to their strengthening as ethical subjects. We articulate categories of the proposal for an economy for life, which situate and highlight the relationship between economy and ethics. A qualitative research with participant observation was carried out, inspired by the technique of the operative groups, the data collected was related to the theoretical reference due to its intertextuality. Among the findings, it is worth mentioning that joining a collective economic initiative can strengthen social ties between homeless people or with homeless backgrounds; consensus and agreements between the members produce a new institutionality, based on solidarity, subordination of production to their material needs and mutual responsibility.