Social benefits offered in Cras and Creas in DF transform people’s lives

It was at a time when she most needed help that day laborer Mery Lopes dos Santos, 42 years old, found, at the Social Assistance Reference Center (Cras) in Samambaia Sul, hope for better days. “It was the certainty that my children and I would no longer go hungry”, says the mother of three children.

Beneficiary of the Prato Cheio program, Mery receives installments of R$250 to help her family purchase food. She also had the help of the social assistance unit team to register on the Housing Development Company (Codhab) list of candidates to receive one of the units built by the Government of the Federal District (GDF) in Sol Nascente.

The support he received at Cras put an end to a wait of more than 13 years for his own home. “With the help of the Cras girls, I was able to update my track and ended up being drawn. It’s a dream come true and a huge happiness to be able to say that I will have housing for myself and my three children”, she says. “Today, I can say that Cras helped me put food on my table and make my dream of owning my own home come true”, he adds.

Just like Mery, thousands of other residents of the DF also had their lives transformed by the Social Assistance Reference Centers (Cras) and Specialized Social Assistance Reference Centers (Creas). These public facilities were responsible for 640,000 services provided since 2019.

It is through these social assistance centers that people at social risk and vulnerability are able to access the benefits and programs developed by the GDF. Represented by similar acronyms, Cras and Creas play, however, different roles in covering and offering social assistance to those who need it most, even though they act in an integrated and parallel manner.

The GDF has invested in expanding social assistance units. Currently, the capital has 32 Cras units organized by territories and divided by address and coverage areas | Photo: Lúcio Bernardo Jr./Agência Brasília

The Cras’ ​​main objective is to offer basic social protection services, such as guidance and referral for access to benefits, income transfer programs and socio-educational activities.

The Creas, in turn, provide services aimed at more complex and serious situations, such as cases of domestic violence, sexual abuse, child exploitation and other forms of rights violations.

“They are complementary social assistance services, with different objectives and functions. Both offer social assistance programs, services and benefits”, explains the Secretary of Social Development, Ana Paula Marra. “Cras works to prevent and strengthen family ties. Its focus is basic social protection, serving families and individuals in situations of social vulnerability. Creas provides assistance to families and individuals whose rights have been violated”, continues the head of the department.

For the Undersecretary of Social Assistance, Coracy Chavante, the most important thing in the performance of these public facilities is to guarantee the social protection of this group of people. “The greater the capillarity of both operations and the greater the offer of services, the greater the protection; It is the government providing security for these families who live in some of the most delicate situations in life, in complete social isolation and in a situation of insecurity, be it food or otherwise”, he argues.

Of the 44 existing centers, five were opened by governor Ibaneis Rocha. They are located in Sol Nascente, Porto Rico (Santa Maria), Itapoã Parque and Cras Móvel. In parallel, the government carried out renovations in several public facilities, such as Centro Pop Asa Sul, Centro Pop Taguatinga, Cras Paranoá, Cras Brasília, Casa Flor and the Institutional Reception Service for Adults and Families (SAIF Areal)

Enlargement

Not surprisingly, the GDF has invested in expanding social assistance units. Currently, the capital has 32 Cras units organized by territories and divided by address and coverage areas. There are also 12 other Creas service points spread across the administrative regions (RAs), in addition to Creas Diversidade, specifically aimed at dealing with situations of discrimination, whether due to sexual orientation, gender identity, race, ethnicity or religiosity.

Of the 44 existing centers, five were opened by governor Ibaneis Rocha. They are located in Sol Nascente, Porto Rico (Santa Maria), Itapoã Parque and Cras Móvel. In parallel, the government carried out renovations in several public facilities, such as Centro Pop Asa Sul, Centro Pop Taguatinga, Cras Paranoá, Cras Brasília, Casa Flor and the Institutional Reception Service for Adults and Families (SAIF Areal).

Since 2019, almost R$50 million has been invested to expand the DF’s social assistance network. The amount covers both continuous and occasional investments, such as rental contracts, acquisition of computers, furniture and building maintenance.

Thanks to the investment, it is possible to say that, today, no administrative region in the DF is without support. In all of them there is at least one unit dedicated to serving this public. And there’s more to come. The DF Social Development Secretariat (Headquarters) plans to deliver new social assistance units in Recanto das Emas, Sol Nascente, Santa Maria, Itapoã, São Sebastião and the reopening of Cras Samambaia Expansão.

Creas are in a situation where there is a scarcity of resources and access to public services and, when the GDF establishes a unit close to their home, the government accesses those who most need public services”, explains Chavante. “It is important that the state actively seeks out the people who need it most”, continues the undersecretary.

support

The Family Assistance and Integral Protection Service (PAIF) is the main support provided by Cras. It is focused on attentive listening and understanding the life contexts and social interactions that surround a family. Based on this understanding, measures are implemented to ensure that the family achieves a basic level of protection.

In addition to PAIF, Cras also offers a series of other services for people at social risk, such as: Daycare Card; School Supplies Card; Full Plate Card; Gas Card; Continuous Payment Benefit; Elderly Card; Emergency Food Basket; and occasional benefits (birth aid, death benefit, in situations of temporary vulnerability and in situations of disaster and public calamity).

With information from Agência Brasília