Dear friends of our homeless work in Delhi,
I wanted to give a brief update about our work with homeless destitute persons in Delhi. As you know, we have been working for some years with homeless children, in Delhi and Hyderabad. We have also tried hard to get governments to establish shelters for the homeless, and have been aided a lot by securing Supreme Court orders for homeless shelters in all cities.
But we still felt the need to try to establish shelters which provide a range of necessary services, and with dignity. Our team in Hyderabad showed the way to us, with a men’s shelter which was a place for safety and recovery, but most of all it was a happy and dignified place. It established standards for us to aspire. With winter coming in, we decided to take the leap in Delhi as well – as usual rashly with almost no money and a highly overworked team. However, the team worked hard many nights with cheer, and all of you came forward with support.
Since this is a shared campaign, I just thought I would send a brief note about where we are and what are the proposed next steps.
1. Shelters: We have been able to start one shelter for women and one for homeless children in Jama Masjid; one shelter for destitute working men and one for hard drug users in Yamuna Pushta, and one working men’s shelter in Roshanara. The work with destitute men and youth with hard drugs is particularly challenging, both professionally and emotionally. We tried (and continue trying) to get a permanent shelter for women in Nizamuddin, but not successful so far. The structures designed by the MNGO led by Dr Amod are a great advance over the canvas shelters of the past. They look decent and clean, and are fire-resistant. There are however teething problems, such as for safe electricity connections for better light and TV, and roofs which still leak and seep even dew. We are trying to create some recreational services as well. Any ideas are welcome.
2. Architectural inputs: Amit helped us put up an inexpensive platform for our langar, and bamboo stores where homeless people can lock up their belongings (one of their highest felt needs). We need to improve the roof of the structures, find safe electricity connection systems, and prepare to insulate the walls better before summer approaches. Can Microhomes help? The shelters need toilets, water sources, bathing spaces, a staff and heath room, and store. Also if we can find funding, we will try to upgrade the buildings into semi-permanent structures. Again architectural inputs would be most welcome.
3. Aman Langar: We are serving with the help of donors like Amiteshwar and Indira Jaising one cooked meal each daily to about 300 destitute persons daily at out shelters at Jama Masjid and Yamuna Pushta. We will need recurring support for the langars, and wish to serve at least 500 persons daily. In the short run, we are purchasing the food from a women’s cooperative Stree Shakti. Tony Sai will help contribute also to the cooked food. Our effort at this stage is mainly to serve the food with dignity, in the Sikh langar style. We like it if volunteers, staff and visitors eat alongside.
4. Food Production Systems: Rashmi Singh, Director of the National Women’s Empowerment Mission, GOI, has agreed to develop this as a pilot effort, to see how this can be a model for livelihood support for destitute urban women. Raju Shete and Ritu Dalmia have kindly agreed to help us build food production systems for these langars, with qualities of nutrition, replicability, affordability, and seeking to provide livelihoods for homeless and destitute women’s collectives. We should plan together to get this off the ground in the next 2-3 months.
5. Street Medicine: Our on-going street medicine programme is set to reach its next stage, with support of AMPI and Helpage India. We will have a mobile rescue van which will do rescue work evenings and nights among homeless populations. We already have an average of 2 rescues every night, but this should grow. We will also have health clinics in 3 locations very week on the streets for homeless people. Tony Sai may help provide medicines in kind. Sharan has tied up with us for hard drug users who are destitute, and we hope to tie up long-term with IBHAS, for which Director Nimesh Desai is in agreement. Vandana Prasad is guiding Anwar and team, and we hope T. Sundararaman will also come in after March.
6. Blankets and Warm Clothes: Goonj has helped greatly with the supply of blankets and warm clothes. There have been generous donations of blankets and warm clothes from friends. These have gone first to the persons in the shelters, and then by our mobile units on the streets. Ark helped with distributing in Mehrauli area.
7. Volunteers: An important part of this process is the engagement of young volunteers. We are proud of the role played by some of our older boys from Ummeed, who are model volunteers both in the shelters and rescue work, cheerful, dedicated and respectful to our homeless guests. There are also a few college and young working volunteers, to oversee the shelters and serve at the aman langars, very welcome; but we hope that there are more volunteers who commit to long-term engagement for this, like they do in our children’s Homes.
8. Research: We have begun a process of intensive engagement with the destitute persons in these locations by a CES team of researchers, who will over coming months spend much time with the destitute persons, trying to understand their situation, state response, and their aspirations.
9. Public sensitization: We see this also as an opportunity for public sensitization, especially of the middle class, about destitution and homelessness around them. For this, our partner is NDTV. Sutapa and Radhika have brought out a series of moving news clips. The link to the latest one is below:
NDTV coverage
We will welcome further suggestions. Also will keep up further updates, in what is a very small adventure in caring.
Warm regards,
Harsh
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