CHENNAI: The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) on Tuesday approved the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to institutionalise the operation and management of corporation-run shelters for homeless persons across the city.
GCC Commissioner GS Sameeran said the SOP is aimed at creating a standardised framework for shelter management. “We will also hold discussions with NGOs to take their suggestions. Since certain benchmarks are high, shelter coordinators will be given time to make improvements,” he said.
To ensure accountability, shelters will be evaluated periodically through a Key Performance Indicator (KPI) framework covering infrastructure, staffing, hygiene, food, healthcare, rehabilitation, grievance redressal and outreach. While GCC will oversee infrastructure, sanitation and health camps, NGOs will handle day-to-day operations, counselling, rehabilitation and documentation.
The SOP lays down non-negotiable principles ensuring dignity, respect and non-discrimination irrespective of caste, religion, disability, gender identity or sexual orientation. It mandates that all rescue interventions must be voluntary, and no person can be forcibly removed from the streets or admitted without informed consent.
Rescue teams are instructed to avoid coercion and refrain from taking photographs or videos during operations to protect privacy. GCC’s Kaval Karangal will coordinate rescue activities with the civic body.
Currently, Chennai operates shelters for men, women, transgender persons, children, elderly persons, persons with disabilities, psychosocial disabilities and hospital caregivers. The SOP proposes additional specialised facilities such as family shelters, transit shelters, recovery shelters, palliative care support centres and assisted-care homes for the elderly. Existing elderly shelters currently accommodate only those capable of self-care.
The SOP clearly states that no individual can be denied shelter due to lack of identity documents. Shelters must provide immediate accommodation, food, clothing, medical care and welcome kits to all new residents.
On transgender shelters, the SOP specifies that transgender women, including those engaged in sex work or begging, cannot be denied admission based on livelihood.
For women and children, shelters must ensure privacy in sanitation facilities, child-friendly spaces and provisions for mothers to stay with dependent children. Girls may stay with their mothers up to 18 years, while boys may remain until 12 years. Children must be placed only in facilities registered under the Juvenile Justice Act and produced before the Child Welfare Committee within 24 hours.
The SOP emphasises counselling support for pre-teen and adolescent children and states that separation from mothers should be a last resort, only when there is risk of harm.
Family reunification will require counselling, feasibility checks, police verification and documentation. Post-exit follow-up is mandatory, with NGOs maintaining contact for at least six months. Missing children, elderly persons and those with psychosocial disabilities will be treated as emergency cases. In case of death, NGOs must inform authorities and police without delay and maintain required reports.