Photos: Thousands of families occupy New Palestine camp in São Paulo

A family watches television in a communal kitchen in New Palestine, an encampment of 8,000 families in São Paulo, Brazil not far from the stadium where the World Cup will be played, April 8, 2014. Sebastian Liste / Reportage by Getty Images for Al Jazeera America

A family shares lunch in the camp. Protesters set up the encampment on the roughly 247-acre site to draw attention to the lack of housing while regularly organizing demonstrations in the city. Sebastian Liste / Reportage by Getty Images for Al Jazeera America

Inhabitants in the camp live in a variety of makeshift dwellings. Sebastian Liste / Reportage by Getty Images for Al Jazeera America

At right, the logo of the Landless Workers' Movement (MTST), the group who organized the camp. Sebastian Liste / Reportage by Getty Images for Al Jazeera America

An inhabitant of the camp. Sebastian Liste / Reportage by Getty Images for Al Jazeera America

A child peers outside her home in New Palestine. Sebastian Liste / Reportage by Getty Images for Al Jazeera America

A child plays on his cell phone in the camp. Sebastian Liste / Reportage by Getty Images for Al Jazeera America

One of the camp's 21 communal kitchens. Cooking duties are shared by nearby families. Sebastian Liste / Reportage by Getty Images for Al Jazeera America

The makeshift outhouses at New Palestine. Sebastian Liste / Reportage by Getty Images for Al Jazeera America

With the help of her son, a camp coordinator organizes one of New Palestine's communal libraries. Sebastian Liste / Reportage by Getty Images for Al Jazeera America

Gathering around one of the communal kitchens at dusk. Sebastian Liste / Reportage by Getty Images for Al Jazeera America

On March 26, the movement claimed a victory after pressuring City Hall to overturn a decree that listed nearby land as a protected public park. After a two-hour meeting with authorities, Mayor Fernando Haddad announced that the site would instead be marked as a “special zone of social interest,” allowing affordable housing to be built. Sebastian Liste / Reportage by Getty Images for Al Jazeera America

Bonfires illuminate the camp at night. Sebastian Liste / Reportage by Getty Images for Al Jazeera America

Residents gather for an evening community meeting. Sebastian Liste / Reportage by Getty Images for Al Jazeera America

Spiraling real estate prices, low salaries and a growing population have produced a drastic housing deficit. Although the government has made promises, time will tell whether the needs of the residents of Nova Palestine are met. Sebastian Liste / Reportage by Getty Images for Al Jazeera America