Women are allowed to stay for six months in homeless shelters run by the Greater Chennai Corporation. , Photo Credit: M. Vedan
The Greater Chennai Corporation will construct 35 modern shelters for the homeless in the city. Currently, there are 51 such shelters in the city.
Corporation Commissioner Gagandeep Singh Bedi has sought details of the amount allocated for the construction of shelters from the officials. He has also asked them to identify sites for construction of shelters.
Eleven sites will be identified for construction of shelters in Tiruvottiyur, Tondiarpet, Royapuram, Ambattur, Teynampet, Valasaravakkam and Sholinganallur areas.
In a recent meeting, Mr. Bedi directed officials to prepare estimates for the construction of 24 shelters for the homeless in Tiruvottiyur, Manali, Madhavaram, Tondiarpet, Royapuram, Ambattur, Anna Nagar, Teynampet, Kodambakkam, Adyar and Sholinganallur . Anna Nagar, Teynampet and Tondiarpet will have the maximum number of new shelters.
City Health Officer Jagdishan said that the new shelters would be constructed in six months. “Many homeless persons have been identified in areas like George Town, Kodambakkam, Koyambedu, Marina Beach and Besant Nagar. We have 55 NGOs running the shelters. Over 1,600 people are staying in the shelters,” he said.
Emphasizing the need for modern shelters in all areas of the city, Dr. Jagadishan said that the corporation has proposed to conduct another census of homeless persons in 15 areas of the city. The last count was done three years ago when over 9,000 homeless persons were identified. “The shelters will be short stay homes that will provide services free of cost,” he said.
Usually women are allowed to stay in the shelter home for six months. Many homeless are taken to shelters with police memos. The civic body, in association with NGOs, also rescues homeless persons. Helpline numbers like 1091, 181 for women and corporation helpline 1913 are some of the facilities available for the rescue of homeless persons.
women saved
GV Williams, executive director of the Myrtle Social Welfare Network, one of the NGOs involved in managing the homeless shelters, said a woman from Nigeria was rescued, sheltered and repatriated. “The girl was trafficked. She fled from Delhi to Chennai and was rescued. We wrote to the High Commission of Nigeria and sent it back home. She has been reunited with her family with the support of the corporation,” Mr Williams said.
Pointing to an increase in the rescue of educated young homeless women in Chennai, Sarah Williams, a trustee of the NGO, said engineering graduates from other parts of the state were rescued, rehabilitated and reunited with their families . “A young woman, who had completed her engineering degree, was rescued recently. She is a resident of Madurai. She was looking for a job. We are doing job meditation. We are getting support from various agencies in Chennai,” Ms Williams said.
Corporation officials said they had rehabilitated 13 people last week, who had secured various jobs. Officials said that more than 1,000 homeless people are rehabilitated in the city every year.