Visakhapatnam Shelter Home Helps 95 Mentally Ill Reunite With Families

Visakhapatnam: 26 Over the past year, 95 individuals with mental illnesses, who had been wandering on the streets, including a mother and her child, have been successfully treated and reunited with their families. This became possible with a partnership between the Shraddha Rehabilitation Foundation and Association for Urban and Tribal Development (AUTD) in Visakhapatnam. The collaboration became formal with a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed at the AUTD Shelter in Visakhapatnam, a government-run facility, on September 23, 2025, which marked one year of the partnership. Of the 95 individuals reunited, 36 had been treated directly at the AUTD Shelter, consisting of 22 men, 14 women, and one child. The remaining 59 individuals – 47 men and 12 women – had been sent to Shraddha centres in Karjat and Nagpur, Maharashtra, where they received care before being reunited with their families. Most of the rescued individuals had been referred to the AUTD Shelter by Visakhapatnam police, who played a crucial role in supporting this initiative. Significantly, Government Hospital for Mental Care in Visakhapatnam also contributed considerably to the rehabilitation process. AUTD secretary Pragada Srinivasu is credited with facilitating this collaboration. He provided support to the Shraddha team, which included accommodation and integration into the shelter's operations. Dr. Bharat Vatwani, founder and trustee of the Shraddha Rehabilitation Foundation, highlighted that such cooperation is vital for effective rehabilitation and reunification. Local organisations and individuals too played a role in this initiative. Dr. Satva Vamsi, an orthopaedic surgeon at Varun Lab, Gayatri Vidya Parishad Medical College, and the Sneha Sandhya Age Care Foundation offered support. Shraddha’s Visakhapatnam team is led by associate psychiatrist Dr. Sravani Gaddipati. She is helped by social workers, who manage the on-ground rehabilitation efforts. The Shraddha Rehabilitation Foundation said reunions of rehabilitated individuals have alleviated the distress of families and raised awareness about treatability of mental illnesses.