New favelas around São Paulo as result of pandemic

New favelas are sprouting up in Sao Paulo, inhabited by recently unemployed workers who lost their jobs and homes as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. In the north of Brazil's largest city, dozens of families first started occupying empty land near apartments and other properties.

One by one, shacks were built by residents who used discarded wood from construction sites, in what became the start of the Penha Brasil favela. Around 230 families live in the new settlement, according to community leaders. The pandemic brought massive job losses to the country as thousands of businesses closed amid government restrictions.

It also affected informal workers, who represent almost 40% of the country's workforce. In December 2019, more than 33,000 families were homeless in São Paulo, according to authorities. The number is believed to be far higher now, in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak.