The Political Constitution of Colombia of 1991 establishes in Article 13 that all persons are born free and equal before the law and shall receive the same protection and treatment from the authorities, and shall enjoy the same rights, freedoms and opportunities without any discrimination. It expressly mandates special protection for persons who, because of their economic, physical or mental condition, are in obviously vulnerable circumstances, and obliges the State to protect especially those persons who are in conditions of weakness or marginalization. Homeless people and street dwellers fall under this category of constitutionally protected vulnerable population.

Article 13 of Law 1098 of 2006 (Código de la Infancia y la Adolescencia) establishes the right of children and adolescents to personal integrity, stating that they shall not be subjected to physical, psychological or moral abuse, negligent treatment, economic exploitation, labor exploitation or any form of marginalization or discrimination, including on the basis of their economic condition, social origin or family situation (such as homelessness). This law is binding nationwide, including Medellín, and obliges public authorities to adopt measures to prevent and sanction such harmful dynamics in all settings where children and adolescents receive services, including day centers and shelters.

The Constitutional Court protected the rights to health, privacy and own image of a woman living on the street through Judgment T‑152 of 2025, emphasizing that the protection of people in a situation of street habitability is an obligation of the State and of society in general, by virtue of the principles of human dignity, equality and solidarity.[7] As a reparation measure, the Court ordered the corresponding health provider to carry out an integral, specialized and interdisciplinary medical assessment and ordered the Facebook profile responsible for publishing her image to permanently delete the photograph and any other related posts.[7] This decision illustrates the use of tutela and constitutional jurisprudence to protect homeless persons’ fundamental rights but does not itself create a comprehensive regulatory framework for social programs such as day centers in Medellín.[7]

According to a news release of the Constitutional Court on Judgment T‑152 of 2025, "people in street habitability are subjects of special constitutional protection" and the State and society must make their rights effective.[10] The Court reiterated that protection of homeless persons derives from rights to human dignity and equality and the principle of solidarity, stressing that public authorities must prevent stigmatization, exclusion and marginalization of this group.[10] The note explains that tutela actions have been a key mechanism to enforce rights of people in a situation of street habitability, in the absence of abundant, specific constitutional provisions directly regulating all aspects of their social care.[10]

The resolution on persons older (Resolución número … de 2025) recalls Law 1251 of 2008 "By which norms tending to procure the protection, promotion and defense of the rights of older adults are enacted" and notes that subsequent legislation has modified Laws 1251 of 2008, 1315 of 2009, 599 of 2000 and 1276 of 2009, penalizing intrafamilial abuse by abandonment and establishing additional protection measures for older persons. The document refers specifically to municipal attention centers such as Centros Día and Centros Noche, stating that the municipal program seeks to improve the conditions and capacities of these centers to offer quality services to older persons, ensuring a safe and adequate environment for their well-being, and strengthening technical, administrative, legal and financial capacities of the centers for comprehensive and specialized attention to older persons.

Agreement 18 of 2001 of the Medellín Council establishes a public policy for older persons in Medellín. The policy is framed within the municipal social system that includes public and private institutions and organisations providing services and support to older adults. It identifies protection centers and centros día as key devices of this system and sets out objectives such as guaranteeing rights, improving living conditions, preventing social exclusion and promoting active participation of older persons in community life.

The Ministry document "Programa Construyendo Dignidad para Personas en Situación de Calle" presents a state‑of‑the‑art on the right to special protection for homeless persons in Medellín and recalls that Law 1641 of 2013 establishes guidelines for formulating the national social public policy for inhabitants of the street.[6] It notes that Decree 1075 of 2023 creates within the Ministry of Equality and Equity a Directorate for Persons in a Situation of Street, with functions to adopt and execute policies, plans, programs and projects for promotion, prevention and care aimed at protection and vindication of the dignity of people in a situation of street, in the framework of rights and duties of vulnerable populations.[6] The report also states that, jurisprudentially, the Constitutional Court has referred only on few occasions to homeless persons and their problems compared to other groups of special constitutional protection, and that the Court has mainly delimited the concept of street inhabitant, their rights and the State’s obligation to guarantee them under Article 13 of the Constitution.[6]

Constitutional Court Judgment T-573 of 2015 examined the situation of homeless people (habitantes de calle) in Bogotá and reiterated that they are subjects of special constitutional protection under Article 13 of the Constitution. The Court held that public authorities have reinforced duties to prevent and address social and state marginalization, and ordered the city to adjust its programs and institutional devices (including day centers and shelters) to guarantee rights, avoid degrading treatment and promote social inclusion of homeless persons.

A manual for the modality "Centro Día – Redes de Cuidado Comunitario" issued by the Secretaría Distrital de Integración Social (Subdirección para la Vejez) defines the conceptual, technical, methodological and normative guidelines for the implementation of the Centro Día modality in community care networks. It includes a table summarizing the international, national and district normativity relevant to the modality, listing among others Law 1315 of 2009, Law 1251 of 2008, Law 2281 of 2023 (Article 6, which creates the National Care System to articulate services, regulations, policies and technical and institutional actions), and a 2023 Council agreement that regulates local policies. The manual states that the purpose of this framework is to defend the rights of older adults, orient policies that take into account the aging process, and regulate the functioning of institutions that provide services of attention and integral development of persons in their old age, including Centros Día.

Constitutional Court Judgment T-125 of 2019 analysed rights of homeless persons and persons in street situations and reaffirmed their status as subjects of special constitutional protection. The Court stressed that local authorities must design and implement comprehensive public policies aimed at overcoming social exclusion and marginalization, and that institutional devices such as habitational centers and day care centers must respect dignity, avoid segregationist practices and guarantee access to health, food, hygiene and social reintegration opportunities.

The Personería de Medellín (municipal ombudsman) reports that the "Secretaría de Inclusión Social, Familia y Derechos Humanos" is under preventive oversight by its Administrative Surveillance Area, with special focus on the program for "habitants de y en situación de calle" (people living on or in street situations). The process seeks to verify correct execution in modalities including self-care, shelters, users in post-surgical recovery or illnesses requiring isolation, "estancia (Centro Día 2)" and resocialization. After visits to installations, the Personería states that evidence showed the program was functioning and delivering satisfactory results for the beneficiary population, and that recommendations would be made in a preliminary report and later a final report for the Secretariat, indicating active administrative oversight but not detailing a specific legal or constitutional protection framework for homeless people in Centros Día.

An article explaining new regulation for Centros Vida and Centros Día for older adults describes that the legal representative of a Centro Vida or Centro Día must request a visit from the municipal or district Health Secretariat to verify compliance with minimum essential requirements of operation, including documentation of property rights over the premises, a scaled plan of all dependencies, and a document attesting compliance with prevention and fire protection requirements and basic sanitary and environmental conditions established by Law 9 of 1979 and related dispositions. It further specifies that the center must identify a responsible director with appropriate professional or technological training and provide a staffing plan and shift system. Existing Centros Vida and Centros Día were given until January 15, 2019 to file documentation and request visits under this regulatory framework. This evidences detailed national-level regulation of day centers for older adults, including oversight by health authorities.

The 2024 Annual Human Rights Report of the Personería de Medellín (district ombudsman’s office) describes the Personería as an official body of the Municipality of Medellín and evaluates the effectiveness of public policies in guaranteeing human rights and access to justice. While the excerpted section focuses on persons deprived of liberty, the methodology involves monitoring municipal programs and services and identifying rights violations and institutional shortcomings. The report notes that in recent years the Personería has received and processed thousands of complaints, petitions and tutela actions aimed at enforcing rights when municipal services and programs fail to meet constitutional and legal standards.

A legal analysis of the situation of homeless people in Bogotá concludes that, although constitutional jurisprudence has established that street inhabitants are subjects of special protection, they are currently completely unprotected because there is no specific law that regulates all their rights and the obligations of the State toward them.[2] The study explains that the Constitutional Court has mainly delimited the concept of street inhabitant and their rights, and stressed the special duty of the State to guarantee these rights for people in vulnerability, as set out in article 13 of the Political Constitution.[2] It notes that there exists in the legal system a series of norms that positively enshrine protection of homeless persons’ rights, which represents progress, but emphasizes that gaps and fragmentation in regulation allow continued rights violations and exclusion.[2]

The article "Estudio sociojurídico crítico del derecho a la especial protección" describes that during the period of legal and regulatory vacuum regarding explicit recognition of special protection, the Constitutional Court only exceptionally addressed the right of homeless persons through review of tutela actions and constitutional challenges.[4] It highlights that, although Court rulings such as C‑1036‑03, T‑533‑92, T‑376‑93, T‑1035‑05 and T‑057‑11 recognize homeless persons as citizens of special protection under article 13 of the 1991 Constitution, this implicit recognition entails an omission of the constituent, who did not expressly include these subjects in the constitutional text.[4] As a consequence, the article argues, the absence of express constitutional enshrinement and the minimal, vertically imposed legal contents of their special protection have made it difficult for homeless persons in Medellín to exercise and demand this right and have contributed to their discrimination and marginalization.[4]

A communication from the Alcaldía de Medellín over Facebook describes programs of the "Secretaría de Inclusión Social y Familia" for people in street situations, including a "Programa de Resocialización" for those who have begun processes in transitory centers. It lists the "Centro Día" with an address in La Candelaria, along with other transitory centers, and explains that more than 1,000 homeless people are transported daily to basic-care centers where they receive hygiene services, food, temporary accommodation and psychosocial support. The post notes that, by legal order, this population can use public space autonomously and cannot be moved without their consent, implying a rights-based constraint on state action, but the communication is descriptive and does not itself constitute detailed legal regulation for Centros Día between 2023 and 2025.

The 2023 SISBÉN Medellín report presents geographic distribution data on poverty and social vulnerability across the city’s barrios and comunas. It identifies areas such as Doce de Octubre, Villa Hermosa and San Javier as having high concentrations of households with low SISBÉN scores, indicating significant socio‑economic vulnerability. These data are used by the municipality to target social programs and services, including day centers and social assistance, to populations at risk of social marginalization.

On its official social media, the Constitutional Court informed regarding Judgment T‑152 of 2025 that "people in street habitability are subjects of special constitutional protection" and that it corresponds to the State and society to make their rights effective.[5] The note reiterates that tutela actions continue to be an instrument used by homeless persons to demand special protection, reflecting ongoing problems in the ordinary implementation of their rights.[5] This communication underscores constitutional recognition of special protection but does not refer to specific regulatory frameworks for municipal services such as Centros Día in Medellín, suggesting that rights enforcement often depends on case‑by‑case judicial intervention.[5]

A blog entry from the Medellín City Council titled "Las personas mayores requieren planes a futuro" highlights the municipal offer of services for older persons, including attention in 652 "clubes de vida" with 45,000 member beneficiaries, 22 gerontological Centros Vida, and support in other programs. It underscores the need for future planning to adapt services to demographic aging and to strengthen spaces for care, recreation and social participation of older adults. Although it does not focus specifically on homeless persons, it shows that Medellín has multiple institutional centers for older adults and that local authorities publicly frame these as part of the protection and inclusion policy for older residents.

A news item from Telemedellín reports that the "Secretaría de Inclusión Social, Familia y Derechos Humanos" opened a reception period for documents for disability-related inclusion programs in Medellín. It notes that the Secretariat attended at least 5,000 people in disability inclusion programs the previous year, and lists projects aimed at inclusion in family, social, and labor spheres. The article illustrates the Secretariat’s operational role in inclusion programs and access mechanisms but does not provide specific legal norms or constitutional guarantees targeting homeless populations or governing Centros Día in 2023–2025.

The "Plan Departamental de Discapacidad 2022–2025" for Antioquia outlines the normative framework regulating inclusion and non-discrimination of persons with disabilities, citing the Colombian Political Constitution of 1991 and laws such as Law 361 of 1997, Law 1752 of 2015 and Decree 1072 of 2015. It stresses that public and private entities are obligated to guarantee accessibility of their services and environments and that territorial entities must ensure access to services and resources. Although focused on disability rather than homelessness, the plan illustrates the broader legal context in Antioquia (where Medellín is located) that requires social services and facilities, including centers, to avoid discrimination and marginalization of vulnerable groups and to guarantee inclusive access.

The 2026 Yearbook "América Latina en el cruce de caminos" published by Fundación Carolina discusses patterns of state and social marginalization in Latin American cities, including Colombia. It notes that urban policies often fail to adequately integrate marginalized populations such as homeless people, and that despite constitutional guarantees and human rights frameworks, local institutional devices and social programs can reproduce exclusionary dynamics when regulatory and oversight mechanisms are weak or unevenly implemented.

A legal commentary on constitutional protection of people in a situation of street highlights that the Constitutional Court derives protection of homeless persons from rights to dignity and equality, declaring that public authorities cannot impose sanctions for the mere fact of living on the street and must adopt measures to guarantee access to health, minimum subsistence and social inclusion.[9] The analysis points out that Law 1641 of 2013 and subsequent regulations define a social public policy for inhabitants of the street but that implementation gaps and lack of detailed regulation at local levels mean that homeless people often continue to experience exclusion and rights violations.[9] It stresses that constitutional jurisprudence has advanced recognition of special protection, yet the regulatory and institutional framework is still insufficient to fully prevent social and state marginalization in many urban programs.[9]

The Metropolitan Area of the Valle de Aburrá hosts a note titled "Secretaria de Inclusión social de Medellín" that references the Medellín Me Cuida plan and social inclusion efforts. The page situates the Secretariat within broader metropolitan governance and social programming, providing a general description of its role. It does not offer detailed regulatory provisions concerning constitutional protection of homeless people or specific rules for the functioning of Centros Día between 2023 and 2025.

A reel posted on Instagram reports that "more than 3,170 people in street situations have accessed specialized care processes in Medellín," quoting statements from Luz María Ramírez, Secretary of Social Inclusion and Family. The accompanying text states that the conclusions are clear: more opportunities in inclusion, education, employment and integral accompaniment are needed for those who seek a change in their lives. The content describes numbers of people reached and highlights perceived gaps in inclusion opportunities, but it is an outreach message rather than a legal or regulatory document governing Centros Día or constitutional protection mechanisms.

A YouTube video from the "Secretaría de Inclusión Social, Familia y Derechos Humanos" describes how the secretariat works for the well-being of different population groups to improve quality of life and provide opportunities. Around timestamp 272–294, the narration explains that the Secretariat coordinates the "línea 123 social" to attend people in social emergencies that threaten their physical or psychological integrity, and that it consolidates territorial and international cooperation alliances to benefit migrant and vulnerable populations residing in Medellín so they can access integral attention and social, economic, and cultural integration. This audiovisual material outlines services and emergency response mechanisms, framing them in terms of rights and protection, but it does not set out binding regulations or constitutional jurisprudence specific to homeless people in Centros Día between 2023 and 2025.

A Facebook post from "Comunas de Medellín" relays information from the Alcaldía de Medellín about enabling in-person points for registration in disability projects of the city. It references the Alcaldía and the Secretariat of Inclusion as responsible for these programs, and directs interested persons to municipal channels for more information. The post concerns administrative access and outreach for disability-related inclusion projects, not the legal framework for homeless people or the specific regulation of Centros Día.