Another person has died due to extreme cold; meanwhile, MIDES and MEC are holding rap workshops.

To date, the polar cold wave in Uruguay has resulted in the deaths of eight homeless men. They were found in plazas, under bridges, or inside improvised tents, in different parts of the country: Montevideo, Rivera, Artigas, Treinta y Tres, and Salto. Today, Canelones was added.

The most recent death occurred in Las Piedras: a man between 30 and 35 years old, who worked as a car guard and slept in a tent, was found dead.

The sixth is not the charm

The first death occurred on that freezing May 24, when a 35-year-old man was found dead under a bridge in Rivera, was not enough for the Frente Amplio government to authorize the mandatory evacuation of the streets. Neither was the second, recorded at the Goes Station in Montevideo, of a 48-year-old man.

With an extraordinary level of cynicism, the third deceased was not counted, arguing that he died from "hemorrhagic pancreatitis, possibly due to alcohol consumption."

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To begin forcing people to take shelter in the centers—which cost us millions of dollars—it was not enough with the fourth dead man, found in a plaza in Buceo, nor with the fifth.

Until finally the day arrived

The national emergency for extreme cold was only declared on June 23, after six homeless men died from hypothermia, revealing a delayed reaction from the Frente Amplio government that postponed the declaration of the national red alert, unable to prevent the deaths that had already occurred.

Finally, the Executive Branch authorized the forced and mandatory evacuation of people to shelters, based on Article 21 of Law No. 18.621, without considering resistance.

Thus, the National Director of Social Protection of MIDES, Daniel Gerhard, announced the start of a special operation that deployed 17 vehicles to patrol the city in search of homeless people.

An emergency that is neither urgent nor thorough, Díaz

The coordination of the red alert for extreme cold is under the responsibility of the National Emergency System (Sinae), chaired by the Deputy Secretary of the Presidency, Jorge Díaz, and directed by Leandro Palomeque. Yesterday, they published a report on the current situation throughout the country.

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On the eighth day of the operation, 2,236 people were transferred to MIDES shelters and 604 to Evacuation Centers, both in Montevideo and in the interior. To expand capacity, a new center with 60 beds was opened at the former Carrasco airport.

There were 2,840 people who could be reached to provide shelter. This raises two important questions: to date, what is the real number of people living on the street? What will happen to these people once the cold wave is over?

The Ministry of Labor is not present, the MEC is

On June 27, the National Directorate of Culture joined the Winter Plan, adding proposals such as rap, tango, acting, muralism, puppetry, screen printing, dance, and other artistic expressions aimed at homeless people.

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From the area of Cultural Rights and Territory, this line of work is promoted under the slogan of bringing culture to all territories, as if an art workshop could replace sustained access to medical care, psychosocial support, or a concrete job opportunity.

Let inefficiency govern

The shelters are providing temporary protection in the face of an emergency. These measures do not address the underlying causes that generate homelessness. They do not improve the quality of life of those sheltered nor do they contribute to restoring public order.

You can't cover the sun with one finger. The shelter systems reproduce and maintain homelessness. Those who go know that they are not offered real solutions. They do not find a single opportunity to dignify their lives: not an emergency job, real psychiatric assistance, or a serious treatment to overcome drug addiction.

They disrespect the entire Uruguayan people.