Q&A on homelessness

10 December 2006

All questions answered by Paramajit Kaur head of ActionAid’s Aashray Adhikar Abhiyan. The campaign was set up six years ago to work with homeless people in India to help tackle the challenges they face.

Q: How many night shelters are there in Delhi ?

There are 18 shelters run throughout the year. 10 night shelters are run by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi and eight run by ActionAid. These are open 24 hours and include including four shelters in community centres and two in portacabins.

In winter there is extra provision. Each year campaigners propose a number of sites to the government. This year eight unused government buildings have been opened and sites for 25 tents agreed in north, south, east and west Delhi .

Last year the government agreed to fixed dates for provision of extra shelter – from 15 December until 31 March – with some flexibility if winter starts early. This helps in planning and gives some security to shelter users.

This year four other NGOs have joined Aashray Adhikar Abhiyan to help manage some of the shelters and a total of 5000 people can be accommodated every night this winter.  

Q: Is this enough or do we need more?

There is not enough shelter. In some areas such as south Delhi , too few buildings have been made available or there are no places to erect tents. In these places we do what we can by offering tarpaulin sheets and blankets.

The busiest shelters are those near Old Delhi railway station and the central markets where many people work as labourers in the informal sector. These are often filled to capacity.

Q: How many are homeless in Delhi and how many opt for night shelters?

We estimate that there are over 1lakh (100,000) homeless people in Delhi . Everyone needs shelter but the shelters available do not suit everyone’s needs. Currently roughly 5% of those use the shelters during winter.

Q: Why do some people choose not to use night shelters?

Families often want to sleep together but currently there are only separate male and female sleeping areas in the shelters.  Others may not find a shelter close enough to their place of work.

Many people do not even know that shelters are available. People arrive in Delhi from all over the country they may be fleeing rural poverty or have been brought as labourers. We need to keep spreading information in a way that vulnerable people can understand and trust.

Every night we have a team of 15 to 20 walking around Delhi, spending time with people living on the streets, getting to know them, gaining their confidence and telling them where shelters can be found and what to expect there. Then people can make an informed decision.

Q: Why does ActionAid open shelters 24 hours?

Women and children especially need to have access to 24 hour shelter. There are many risks people face living on the streets. You can be hit by cars, extreme cold and pollution make you physically sick, there is no privacy or space for cooking and you are more vulnerable to police harassment and sexual violence.

It is not only about having a safe place to go in the day, but having the space to seek advice and support from others or learn a new skill.

Q: What should the government do to improve the situation of homeless?

India doesn’t yet have a national policy on homelessness. We would like to official recognition of the right to shelter in an Act that legislates for creation of enough shelters and space for people to live. It also needs to addresses issues of identity for homeless people.

Many homeless people are unable to obtain access to pensions, ration cards, justice and health care for example, all these things that they have a right to are often denied because they have no recognised address.

Aashray Adhikar Abhiyan first started speaking with the government on this issue four years ago. First there 14 winter shelters were provided, then 32, then 50. And last year dates for winter shelter were agreed so that we can plan better and people can know when the extra shelters are available.

Last year, Delhi ’s Chief Minister visited shelters and made statements to media. We also had more support from government than ever before so were able to expand the number of shelters. We were happy to see that there were no reported deaths that year due to cold on the streets, and that so far there have been none this year either.

Another welcome development to report is that this winter the bureaucracy started moving to provide shelters without needing a push. We are also discussing with government the possibility of making all shelters free, at least for the coldest months. Some shelters currently charge Rs6 per shift. If you have very little money is hard to choose between shelter and food.

8. What are the threats of sleeping on road sides?

Homeless people sleeping on roadsides are far more vulnerable to hit and run car drivers, theft, police brutality, sexual violence. Women and children are particularly vulnerable.

Extreme cold, pollution and exposure to the weather also make people physically sick. Lack of privacy and space to cook adds to this.

If you are living on the streets you are also unlikely to be able to save money or claim rights such as widows pension, old age pension, ration card.

9. What measures should be taken to improve the usage of night shelters?

What’s needed is sufficient number of well managed shelters, available free of charge, close to people’s places of work.

NGOs do not have the resources to manage more and more shelters on their own. Managing shelters is not just about opening buildings or erecting tents. It is far more than a sleeping space with four walls and a roof.

We need mattresses, blankets, warm clothes and food for the most destitute. A good shelter will have activities and entertainment – the recreation elements of a home environment to enable people to live with dignity in the shelter.

Shelters also need to be available in the day

We place great value on having people available who understand what it means to live on the streets and can offer friendly support and advice. We also offer counselling, medical care, a postal service.

10. Anything else that ActionAid would love the readers to know?

Homeless people are not criminals they are just fellow human beings in difficult circumstances. They don’t need sympathy but respect and dignity.

Every one has a right to shelter. As fellow human beings let’s strive for this right to be recognised, promoted and protected by law.

People can help Aashray Adhikar Abhiyan in many ways. There is a need for mattresses, blankets and warm clothes. Donations in money or kind are welcome. People can also offer their professional skills, whether they are teachers or medics teachers, IT professionals or craftspeople who can teach women new skills.

For more information please visit: www.delhishomeless.org

ENDS