Streets of Unspoken Names

Care for Travestis Experiencing Homelessness in Alagoas’ Agreste Region

Abstract

This experience report emerges from the fieldwork of two psychology interns engaged in the articulation between the Centro POP and the LGBTQIAPN+ outpatient clinic in the city of Palmeira dos Índios, in the agreste region of Alagoas, during the year 2024. In this paper, we highlight how network-based care can produce concrete shifts in the lives of travestis experiencing homelessness. Throughout the internship, we identified that this population constituted one of the main demands of the service, bringing narratives marked by family ruptures, physical and symbolic violence, and diverse everyday survival strategies. To give shape to these experiences, we draw on excerpts from field diaries produced during the internship, mobilized ethically and without exposing any identifying information about the individuals assisted. The users’ accounts revealed a sharp understanding of territory, conceived not merely as a geographical space but as an instance that regulates possibilities of existence especially in the countryside, where the circulation and expression of dissident identities are strictly controlled. The partnership between services enabled important actions, producing symbolic effects of recognition and belonging. Nevertheless, we observed that basic rights remain constantly negotiated, highlighting a condition of precarious citizenship for travestis living in street situations.