The affliction of a father in a movie, 'The Pursuit of Happyness', being homeless with a child has brought tears to many eyes. What is being homeless is difficult to understand which many of us end up envisaging in the middle age.
There are around 42 Renbaseras – shelter homes across the city run by Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC), each having a capacity of around 15 to 20 people. Most of them are poorly maintained and have become the den of illegal activities. "The existing shelters are small and not in good condition. Investing money in them is not wise. Instead, we are coming up with Shelters for Urban Homeless (SUH). A proper shelter with a number of facilities," said Yogesh Maitrak, director of Urban Community Development, AMC.
"With a capacity of 100 beds, we are coming up with 34 shelters. We are also looking for separate shelter homes for women. The condition of the shelters will be modern, unlike the existing Renbaseras. We are going to provide assistance in getting their Aadhaar Cards, Ration Cards, Election cards etc," explained Maitrak.
As the people are homeless, the civic body will also help them in getting jobs. "As per their skill or expertise, we will assist them in getting jobs like construction labour, electrician etc under the City Livelihood Center's employment opportunity," said the director.
The place has not yet been decided where the proposed 34 shelters will be built. However, most of them will be constructed near hospitals, railway and bus stations and open plots. Rental of the shelter per night will be 10% of the beneficiaries daily income. "We will anticipate the charges differently looking at the beneficiary. Also, a plan to link the homeless people in getting the Economic Weaker Section's housing units is on the anvil," remarked Maitrak.
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