CHENNAI: The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC), in collaboration with the Madras School of Social Work, recently released the final report of a city-wide homelessness survey titled ‘Data for Dignity’.
While the survey identified around 13,529 homeless individuals across 2,837 locations in Chennai, the report recommends strengthening housing policies, enhancing social protection systems, addressing structural discrimination, and fostering community engagement.
The report, calling for coordinated inter-departmental action, was handed over to chief secretary N Muruganandam and officials from at least seven departments, including GCC, and TNUHDB, on May 29.
According to the report, of the total homeless population, around 51% that is 2,482 were part of family units. Moreover, a significant 80.66% of homeless population are generationally homeless noting they never had stable access to housing.
The report recommended government departments to invest in permanent housing within 2-3 km of their current locations, especially for families, who as per current practice often separated in gender-specific shelters.
With 58.26% of homeless families have children under 18 years, 25.89% have two children and 19.34% have one child, 5.1% (164) of them reported that their children had dropped out of school. While dropout rates are relatively low, continued monitoring and educational support remain critical, the report said. Common reasons cited for dropout was poverty, lack of interest, and inability to cope.
Only 10.78% of the children reached Class 11-12, and a mere 4.89% pursued college education.
The report urges immediate ward-level planning using mapping data and survey findings to develop micro-level interventions with the involvement of councillors, NGOs, GCC officials, and the homeless project team. Micro learning centres are proposed to prevent school dropouts among homeless children.
While 84.46% sleep on platforms/open areas, only 11% have access to toilets. The report said, contrary to popular belief, the problem is not a lack of toilets but a lack of functional ones. Many public toilets remain locked after 10 pm, forcing the homeless relieve themselves in open spaces.
As much as 56% have no PDS and majority have no access to pensions and bank accounts. Without documents, access to welfare schemes like ration items, healthcare (CMCHIS), pensions, education, and housing is blocked. The report suggests ward-level camps for issuing government ID cards, supported by awareness drives. It also urged removal of residency requirements for ration cards.
With regard to health, around 97.6% of homeless families access health care services at government hospitals and substance abuse/ addiction is common among adolescents’ boys and older men. It recommended deploying mobile health care units, organising health camps, and ensuring follow-up care and shelter reintegration, especially for elderly.
It also suggests working with NGOs for food and rental support for homeless, creating temporary night shelters, improving existing shelter services, and establishing de-addiction facilities within shelters.
Speaking to TNIE, M Antony Stephen, a MSSW professor said, “There needs to be greater focus on homeless families and children’s education. The report’s discussions held during the May 29 meeting included an assurance that a review meeting on the actions taken would be conducted once every three months. All that’s needed now is executive will-if that is in place, the homeless can be ensured a dignified life.”