Costa Rica
ASOCIACION ESCUCHANDO GENTE SIN HOGAR
Asociación Escuchando Gente Sin Hogar is a non-profit organisation, established in 2008. It helps change lives of people recovering from substance abuse, homeless people, including immigrants, and street paper vendors, through football.
Their national ambassadors are Costa Rican football legends Róger Flores and Hernán Medford, who sometimes help with training sessions.
ORGANISATION DETAILS
PARTICIPANTS
People recovering from substance abuse, homeless people - including homeless migrants.
LOCATIONS
San José, San Francisco Dos Ríos
Country statistics
62 out of 189 in Human Development Index rankings (UNDP, 2019)
$12,000 Average annual salary per person (World Bank, 2021)
21% of the population live below the poverty line (CIA Factbook, 2019)
Costa Rica, with its population of just over 5 million is considered a relative success story, within the 7 countries of Central America, and now classed as an upper middle-income country. However, with over 1 million people still living in poverty, this reflects the stark inequalities that have emerged. With 80% of the population now in urban areas, this continues to put pressure on the inadequate slum housing situation (CIA Factbook, 2019).
A state housing subsidy exists which can help some people become more eligible for the housing market. However, those working in the informal sector have difficulties in accessing this. State investments have prioritised health, education and sanitation but it seems housing has yet to receive the priority it needs.
The COVID-19 pandemic-induced recession has exacerbated unemployment, which in turn risks more homelessness. Thousands of refugees from Nicaragua and Venezuela have also been arriving in Costa Rica since 2017, putting further pressure on the housing situation.
STORIES from the region
