Health authorities identify dozens of homeless individuals in Camagüey: The numbers are increasing

After years of covering up the reality of the homeless, the Cuban regime has ended up admitting their existence: following the statements of Marta Elena Feitó Cabrera —former Minister of Labor and Social Security— who denied the presence of beggars in Cuba and went as far as criminalizing those who search for food or beg on the streets in the most recent parliamentary session, the government not only acknowledges the problem, but also claims to be "working" on a solution.

However, the reality in the streets of Camagüey shows that the situation has worsened: elderly individuals, mentally ill people, internal migrants, and homeless citizens wander through colonial squares and central avenues aimlessly and without institutional support, and what once seemed exceptional is now routine.

According to a report by TV Camagüey, although the province was one of the first to have a Social Protection Center, it now faces an evident paradox: the number of homeless individuals continues to rise, while the existing infrastructure seems unable to provide real solutions.

Data from the Provincial Directorate of Public Health indicates that 59 individuals exhibiting wandering behavior have been identified in the main municipality, while another 31 are receiving institutional care.

However, the actual figure could be much higher: the country has not conducted a national census since 2012, which makes it difficult to accurately gauge the extent of the problem.

Local statistics indicate that at least 30% of the homeless consume alcohol excessively, 24% suffer from mental disorders, and another 30% have some form of disability.

This is compounded by the alarming testimony of elderly individuals who, in many cases, have been stripped of their homes by family members, reported the cited platform.

The Family Code recognizes the rights of elderly individuals to decide where to live, to receive care, and to have a dignified life.

But in practice, those guarantees depend almost entirely on family willingness and an institutional framework that often does not take action.

Camagüey is no exception. There are nine Social Protection Centers operating in Cuba, spread across various provinces.

The Camagüey center offers temporary accommodation for up to 90 days, food, and psychosocial support.

But after graduating, many end up back on the street, and without sustained support policies, without employment, without secure housing, the return to vulnerability is just a matter of time.

The agreement 10056/2025 of the Council of Ministers defines wandering behavior as a result of multiple factors: housing insecurity, abandonment, health problems, and lack of economic autonomy.

However, this protocol focuses on containment and transfer, rather than on true social reintegration.

Although preventive actions have been implemented in vulnerable neighborhoods, such as hygiene assistance and medical guidance, these measures are merely palliative.

Resolving the issue requires multisectoral policies: attention to addictions, decent housing, psychological support, and real job opportunities, emphasized TV Camagüey.

Decree 109/2024, which implements the National System for Comprehensive Life Care, points in that direction.

But it is still in the early stage and requires political will, consistent funding, and active community participation.

One avenue still unexplored on the island is the creation of inclusive social cooperatives, like those that exist in countries such as Brazil or Uruguay.

These structures allow homeless individuals to reintegrate through dignified work in environments tailored to their abilities, supported by psychologists and social workers.

Community projects like Quisicuaba in Havana have already demonstrated that it is possible to support the most vulnerable with closeness, humanity, and tangible results.

Camagüey has the historical and organizational conditions to replicate experiences of that kind, noted the source.

But as long as the gaps between what is proclaimed and what is executed remain, exclusion will continue to grow. Social protection cannot be merely discourse or a façade: it must be an active network, capable of supporting those who have already lost everything.

Denied, criminalized... and now “protected”

For years, the Cuban regime chose to make the existence of homeless individuals invisible.

Although the reality was evident in squares, avenues, and doorways across the country, the official narrative insisted on denying the presence of beggars, equating extreme poverty with "antisocial behavior."

Those who helped these individuals did so from a standpoint of activism or faith, without any state support.

In 2022, for example, Christian initiatives offered Christmas dinners to homeless individuals in Havana, and in 2023, young people from Camagüey distributed food to the homeless in the boulevard of their city.

They were civic actions that documented a poverty silenced by the institutions.

The breaking point occurred when the then Minister of Labor and Social Security, Marta Elena Feitó Cabrera, publicly denied the existence of beggars in Cuba and criminalized begging, labeling it as an illegal act.

Her statements caused scandal and rejection, even in state-run media and sectors of the government itself.

The misstep of the head of the department was such that it caused immense pressure which ultimately led to the resignation of the minister, a rather unusual occurrence in the reality of Cuba.

Although some activist voices agree that it was merely a strategy by the regime to divert attention from the countless problems the government is facing today.

However, a few days later, the regime began to announce actions "to address" the issue.

One of them was the inauguration of a new center for the homeless in Villa Clara, a measure presented as structural, but clearly driven by political scandal rather than a genuine social strategy.

Thus, those who were denied or treated as criminals for years are now portrayed as beneficiaries of a system that only reacted after public pressure. The apparent protection arrives too late and does not guarantee any reparation.

From official denial to global echo: Cuban poverty can no longer be hidden

The crisis of poverty that the Cuban regime tried to deny for years is no longer just visible on the streets, but has transcended the island's borders.

International media are beginning to document in stark detail what is happening in today's impoverished Cuba. The French agency AFP, for example, published a report from Havana this Thursday that features the testimony of William Abel, a 62-year-old man who survives by searching for food scraps in trash containers.

In his narration, William shows a plastic bag with dirty rice, some vegetables, and a gnawed chicken bone: “Food is the hardest part. I've been searching in the trash for something to eat for two years,” he declared with difficulty due to his lack of teeth.

Abandoned after the collapse of his home and with a visibly deteriorated body, William claims that begging "has always existed" in Cuba, but now there is "more than ever."

His testimony illustrates what many citizens have echoed outside the official narrative: that the economic collapse, uncontrolled inflation, and the lack of a genuine social safety net have pushed thousands to the brink of destitution.

In that same report, AFP shared other heartbreaking stories. Juan de La Cruz, 63 years old and with a leg amputated due to diabetes, begs for change under a porch in Centro Habana with a sign that pleads: “Please, something to eat.”

He receives a pension of only 1,092 pesos per month, equivalent to less than 3 dollars in the informal market. The food in the state cafeteria—he says—is "bad, rice without lard, without oil." Furthermore, he lives in an empty room, far from his family, with the certainty that he has no other option.

Arnaldo Victores, a 65-year-old blind former physiotherapist, sleeps on nylon bags in a motorcycle garage. He cannot access social services because he does not have an official address in Havana.

Every day, he returns to the center of the capital to beg in front of the new 42-story hotel inaugurated by the State. His dream is not luxury or travel; he simply asks for "a small room and a bathroom."

In light of these testimonies, the regime's narrative—which for decades avoided using words like "poverty" or "begging"—has been left without foundation. The resignation of Minister Marta Elena Feitó following her offensive remarks about windshield wipers and beggars was not an act of self-criticism, but rather a reaction to public outrage.

As even the leader Miguel Díaz-Canel acknowledged, beggars are now "concrete expressions" of the inequalities that the system has neither been able to nor willing to resolve.

Frequently Asked Questions about the Situation of Homeless Individuals in Cuba