Fewer Homeless People Seeking Shelter by Getting Arrested in Cancún

Cancún, Quintana Roo — The number of homeless people in Benito Juárez who commit minor offenses so they can be taken to the municipal detention center known as “El Torito” for food and shelter has declined, according to local officials.

Jorge Rivero, director general of the municipality’s Civic Courts, attributed the drop to ongoing coordination with the Municipal Institute Against Addictions (IMCA), headed by Alberto Ortuño, and to the operation of the municipal shelter, which offers a comprehensive care alternative for this population.

Under the protocol, when the Public Security Department brings a homeless person before the Civic Courts for an administrative offense, both agencies jointly offer voluntary admission to the shelter, where the person can access meals, lodging, clothing and rehabilitation services.

“From the moment they arrive, we give them the option of a place where they can go, where they can rehabilitate, where they have food, a roof and even clothes,” Rivero said.

He stressed that authorities cannot force anyone to accept the help. “We cannot force them. We cannot go against their will. They have to accept the help for us to intervene,” he said.

Rivero said the protocol was created in response to an increase in citizen reports of homeless people staying in parks and green areas. Although those situations are handled by the Public Security Department, the Civic Courts step in to channel those who agree to IMCA services.

He noted that two people who previously entered “El Torito” repeatedly for meals and a place to sleep have already been placed in the municipal shelter.

Regarding the vacation period, Rivero said no increase in administrative offenses has been recorded, and efforts have focused mainly on guiding and accompanying homeless people rather than on making more arrests.