A home for the destitutes, set up under ‘Theruvu Velicham’, a project initiated by the Department of Social Welfare, was opened at Kakkanad on Monday. The ‘Theruvu Velicham’ project was inaugurated by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy here on May 16.
The home for destitutes at Kakkanad has three employees to take care of the inmates, and two separate rooms have been provided for the mentally unstable. The house provides temporary shelter for people of all ages who are rescued from streets by social workers.
“Usually, we find it difficult to find a shelter for the mentally-challenged people, even if they are rescued from streets. There is no such problem in this facility. Mentally challenged people are also admitted here,” said social worker S Murukan, who is associated with the project.
On Monday, the house warming was performed by Lakshmi Amma, an aged woman who was rescued from near the South RoB. “We already have 10 inmates, who were rescued from different parts of the city. Some of them are drug addicts while some are mentally unstable. We also provide necessary medical facilities with the help of the General Hospital, Ernakulam,” said John Joshi, liaison officer.
“I feel relieved when I talk to others here, and the serenity helps me a lot,” said an inmate, who is a native of Phusariya in Rajasthan, who was found in the streets in Ernakulam.
Meanwhile, giving reason for the volunteers to rejoice, one of the first inmates was sent back home. A native of Palakkad, who was found wandering through the streets of Ernakulam in a mentally unstable condition, was taken to the home by the volunteers of ‘Theruvoram’, a social service organisation.
After reaching the destitues’ home at Kakkanad, he could remember the phone number of his parents, which helped the volunteers to trace his roots.