Chennai: Night shelters run by GCC lack basic amenities
Chennai: For more than two months, several night shelters run by the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) have been neglected, exposing persistent shortcomings in the city’s response to the homeless. Closed hospital-attendant shelters, inadequate facilities, and a lack of shelters for disabled men point to the need for a broader policy framework that goes beyond mere temporary shelters. The DT Next team visited several shelters and found that the men’s night shelters on Pasumpon Muthuramalinga Thevar Road in Nandanam and Mandaveli Market Street in Mandaveli needed immediate attention. The women’s night shelter at Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH) was found closed, while the men’s shelter at the Government Kasturba Gandhi Hospital for Women and Children has been closed for more than two months. Hollow Shelters
Homeless elderly people from Devarajan Street in Triplicane have been relocated, but the Shelter Board remains in place. Most of these shelters can accommodate 30-50 people. The GCC runs 50 night shelters across Chennai under the Shelter for Urban Homeless (SUH) scheme, and NGOs manage the day-to-day operations. The Royapuram zone has the highest number of shelters, with 14, followed by Teynampet with nine. The civic body runs nine women’s shelters, 13 men’s shelters, two for girls, and four for boys. There are also shelters for people with psychological disabilities (two for women and three for men), six special shelters each for men and women, three shelters for the elderly, one shelter for women with disabilities, and one shelter for transgender people. Despite this expansion, significant gaps remain. There are no dedicated shelters for physically disabled men in the city, forcing many to sleep on sidewalks and roadsides without access to facilities tailored to their needs. The shelter coordinator said they often encounter disabled men during rescue operations, but there are no dedicated facilities for them.
Staff shortages have further hampered services. A staff member in charge of the women’s shelter at Kasturba Gandhi Hospital said, “The men’s shelter here has been closed for over two months due to staff shortages, but the women’s shelter is open.” At RGGGH, an attendant who has been using the night shelter for over a week said that the facility can accommodate up to 30 people, and more people stay overnight. “Many new attendants at the hospital are now aware of this facility,” the person said. The Urban Homeless Shelter for elderly women on TTK Road in Kavinagar Bharathidasan Salai is heavily utilized. Similarly, the male and female attendant night shelters at Kilpauk Medical College and Hospital are regularly staffed. A coordinator said that staff make night rounds to brief patients’ attendants on the facilities. The coordinator added, “The number of residents varies daily.” Lack of infrastructure continues to impact shelter use. A worker at the men’s night shelter on Pasumpon Muthuramalinga Thevar Road said that more than 30 people can stay at a time, but there is only one toilet. The worker added, “Increasing the number of toilets and accommodation will help accommodate more people.”
Only on paper
According to a Supreme Court order, every urban local body must build one night shelter for every 100,000 people. According to this rule, Chennai should have at least 84 shelters. However, only about 50 are currently operational, indicating a significant shortage. GCC’s Standard Operating Procedures divide shelters into three categories: men’s shelters, women’s shelters, and special shelters. Men’s shelters are primarily designed for single men, focusing on housing, addiction services, and rehabilitation. Women’s shelters aim to provide a safe place for women and their dependent children, including legal aid and assistance toward economic independence for survivors of abuse.
Special shelters are for vulnerable groups. These include hospital shelters for patient attendants, shelters for people with mental illness or psychological challenges who require special care, shelters for the disabled designed according to national accessibility standards, shelters for trans people focusing on healthcare and social reintegration, and children’s shelters that serve as short-stay facilities with counseling and legal protection under the Juvenile Justice Act. Under current regulations, men and women can stay in shelters for 3-4 months, and the elderly, physically disabled, and trans people can stay for 6-8 months, or until their treatment or rehabilitation is complete.
Rescue and Rehab
Rescue operations are a key part of shelter operations. The coordinator of a men’s shelter in the Teynampet zone said that teams conduct rescue operations twice a week at beaches, bus stands, and railway stations. “The GCC decides the dates for rescues, and people can also use the corporation’s helpline 1913 to report homeless people,” the coordinator said.
