TOKYO-2017 Editorial / General News

Copacabana Palace

  • Prize
    Bronze in Editorial/General News
  • Photographer
    Peter Bauza

“Copacabana Palace”, an ironically named series of condominiums in Brazil, houses more than 300 homeless families (more than 1000 people). Built more than 30 years ago, construction on this complex was never finished and has since become squatted. A lack of fresh water, electricity, or a working sewage system means residents here often face serious health problems. Most of the people here come from favela communities, some of whom may have been offered social housing as part of governmental rehousing schemes that they don't feel safe enough to occupy due to the presence of drug-gang families. According to official statistics from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, it is estimated that there are 1.8 million homeless people in #Brazil.