WASHINGTON, DC, March 10, 2026 - The World Bank's Board of Directors approved a new project in the Municipality of São Paulo, Brazil's largest city, to expand access to social assistance services and benefits for vulnerable populations, modernize the city's social protection infrastructure, and strengthen the systems that serve hundreds of thousands of residents living in situations of risk and exclusion. The project will also help connect vulnerable residents, especially young people, to better opportunities, skills and jobs.
The package includes a US$131.8 million loan from the World Bank, complemented by US$100 million in counterpart financing from the Municipality of São Paulo, for a total investment of US$231.8 million. By combining investments in service delivery, digital modernization, and physical infrastructure, the project aims to improve the quality, reach, and responsiveness of São Paulo's social assistance network, while helping people access services that can support resilience, inclusion, and economic participation.
The project is expected to directly benefit approximately 500,000 people currently enrolled in the Municipal Secretariat for Assistance and Social Development (SMADS) services. It will also track improvements in citizen satisfaction with social assistance services and the share of services using digital records.
Project highlights
The main pillars of action include:
- Services and benefits for at-risk populations: Support for the reintegration of unhoused individuals, including access to housing vouchers and qualified reintegration services. Targeted programs for youth at social risk, including digital skills training through the Digital Public Works program, will help equip them with the skills for better job opportunities, as well as behavioral health support. An Adaptive Social Protection strategy will help vulnerable families cope with climate-related shocks.
- Modernization of the social assistance delivery system: Renovation and expansion of the physical infrastructure of the SUAS (Unified Social Assistance System) and SUS (Unified Health System) networks across the city. Upgrading the IT systems of SMADS to enable electronic records and improved case management, strengthening the operational capacity of the SMS health care network, and improving services provided by SMPED for people with disabilities.
"São Paulo is home to one of the most complex urban social protection systems in Latin America, and this project will help make it more effective, inclusive, and resilient," said Cécile Fruman, World Bank Country Director for Brazil. "By investing both in the people and in the systems that serve them, we are helping the city better reach those most at risk, including the unhoused, youth, women, the elderly, and people with disabilities, while creating stronger pathways to opportunity, inclusion and jobs."
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