Playa del Carmen Councilwoman Proposes Municipal Shelter for Elderly

Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo — Councilwoman Alma Angelina Medina has proposed creating a municipal shelter for elderly people living on the streets of Playa del Carmen, citing a recent rise in the number of older adults without housing.

Medina, who chairs the City Council’s Commission on Family Development and Vulnerable Groups, acknowledged that the project will be difficult to carry out because it requires a significant budget allocation. But she said the shelter has become essential for the municipality, where more and more seniors are being found in homeless situations.

Exact figures are unknown, she noted, but she pointed to neighborhoods such as Ejido and El Pedregal, as well as the underpasses along Boulevard Playa del Carmen, as areas with the highest concentrations of people living on the streets.

“We are seeing a bleak picture, and we have to keep pushing to make this shelter a reality,” Medina said.

She warned that the trend is likely to continue, as many aging workers who spent their careers in construction or jobs without benefits may eventually need government assistance.

Medina also said homelessness in Playa del Carmen is not limited to locals or visitors from other Mexican states. She cited several cases of foreigners living on the streets, including a Colombian woman recently found homeless with a young relative.

According to Medina, some of the foreign nationals who have received help from authorities have said they are better off living on the streets in Playa del Carmen than in their home countries.