Chennai: Chennai corporation would have been taking steps to sensitise on shelter homes for the homeless in the city, but the glaring fact is that the facility requires immense attention from the civic body.
Against the mandated norm of possessing 70 shelter homes for the population of 8.5 million, Chennai has only 37 shelters, leaving a shortage of 33 such facilities.
Besides various complaints on the infrastructure, people living in the shelter homes also lament about the increasing crowd, exceeding the limits of the facility. “There were around 35 of us in this shelter house, but when new people came in, the open space at the backside was provided to them for residing,” says R. Sumati (name changed), a dweller at Rajiv Gandhi General Government Hospital night shelter.
The shortage of the shelter homes affects the status of the metropolitan city, as dwellers occupy the pavements and lead a compromising lifestyle. “I stay on the pavement with my husband and a kid. We can’t stay separately, therefore these shelter homes are not apt for us,” says K. Janani, a pavement dweller near Vadapalani Metro station.
Admitting that a few shelter homes are crowded, corporation officials blame it on the space crunch for the lapses. “We are now sensitising the commuters about the availability of the facility through the help line number 1913. We are also distributing the pamphlets with the phone numbers to create awareness,” said a corporation official.
“We are seeking help from NGOs, which offer shelter facility, to collaborate with us and provide space for the homeless. The construction of more shelters will be undertaken shortly, as per the need after the selection of locations,” the official noted.
As per a survey conducted by Greater Chennai corporation recently at 204 places across all 15 zones, the count of homeless is 3,539 in the city.
