A psychiatrist is getting his homeless and sometimes drug-addicted patients to open up to him by dressing up a clown.
Flavio Falcone of Sao Paulo, Brazil, was unable to get through to his patients, so he decided to try a new approach. Wearing a red nose and jester costume, he frequents Brazil’s “cracolandia,” or crackland, a dangerous wasteland where many of the cities addicts and homeless live. Falcone walks through the tormented area with a speaker blaring loud rap music, using his get-up and tunes as an ice breaker for those living on the streets. His patients do not know him as a doctor but as The Clown.
Falcone works with actress Andrea Macera, who also dresses up as a clown and assists the psychiatrist. The two hold “radio” time during their work, which allows the homeless people in crackland to requests songs and even singalong.
Since starting his clown persona, Falcone has treated many homeless and drug-addicted Brazilians. Many of his patients were forced onto the street due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Government assistance in the early days of the pandemic has dried up, only increasing the number of residents at crackland.
In their work, Falcone and Macera have found housing for nearly 20 people displaced by the pandemic and have distributed 200 tents to the homeless. Towards the end of 2020, the pair launched “Roof, Work, and Treatment,” a program funded by the local labor prosecutors’ office to offer support to the homeless community.
“What makes you laugh is the clown that trips, not the clown who walks straight. The people who are on the street are really the failures of capitalist society,” Falcone said.
For residents like Jailson Antonio de Oliveira, Falcone’s work within crackland is vital. Oliveira was able to obtain a room for himself and his girlfriend, paid for by Falcone’s efforts.
“Today, I have a better life because of Flavio Falcone, the clown,” said Oliveira, who has “clown” tattooed on his wrist in honor of the man he calls his “right arm.”
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