CHENNAI: Ever since the Covid-19 outbreak began, the number of people accommodated in Corporation shelters has been increasing, say Corporation officials. Currently, 1,700 people are accommodated in 54 shelters, including special shelters, which house people who are not in private facilities due to the fear of spread of Covid-19. In July last year, the number of inmates was 1,050.
The shelters had, over the course of the lockdown, accommodated several people who were asked to vacate by house owners for their inability to pay rent or because of their work on the frontlines. “By the end of February, we will have around 2,000 people because we are also carrying out daily rescues. Private homes are still hesitant about taking in new inmates so we try to accommodate people who otherwise might have been taken by private homes,” said a Corporation official.
In September last year, 58 senior citizens of an old age home in Perungudi tested positive for coronavirus, after which the city Corporation increased testing in old age homes. “We recently opened up two new shelters. Our target is 84 shelters. Besides the existing 54 shelters for the urban homeless, 30 are under construction,” the official added.
The target of 84 is in line with a Supreme Court ruling that calls for a shelter for every one lakh people. The city Corporation had identified around 9,000 homeless people in a survey in 2018, a number that might have increased due to the lockdown and loss of livelihood that ensued.