Shelter homes: Do you know any in Karnataka?

There are shelter homes for homeless people and still they living on the streets in Karnataka. Why?

“Everyday when I used to go to my college I always used to see a homeless family living on the footpath. I always observe the man abusing his wife in each and everything she did. Even if there was no food in the home that man used to get very agitated and harass the woman. I felt  why only the woman in that family had to be the bread earner, instead the man drink and sleep all day.” 

Not just this family, there are many other families where women face domestic violence from their husbands or from the in-laws. For women facing violence there are a number of shelter homes. There are some NGO homes which are helpful for women in need. 

According to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, scheme of shelters for urban homeless under the mission of Deendayal Antyodaya YojanaNational Urban Livelihoods Mission, there should be different types of shelters homes for women and men.

*Men shelter homes for men who are homeless and unemployed.

*Women shelter homes for homeless women facing domestic violence.

*Family shelter homes for poor families who stay out on the footpath.

*Special Shelters taking into account of special needs for homeless persons, such as old persons without care, mentally or physically challenged.

Facilities that should be available in the shelter homes in Karnataka are:

•  Well ventilated rooms

• Water arrangements such as for both drinking and sanitation purposes, 

• Standard lighting for shelters 

• Common kitchen/cooking space, 

• Child care facilities for children by linking the shelter to the nearest Anganwadi Centers.

The entitlements provided in the homes are  social security, food, education and health care systems, all the people living in the homes should be given priority under certain schemes and government programmes.

Benefits provided  in the homes will also be including:

Identity Proof & Postal Address 

1. Old age, widows and disability pensions 
2. Elector’s Photo Identity Card (EPIC), Aadhaar Card etc.
3. Admission to public hospitals for health care
4. Free Legal Aid 
5. Referral services for women & children in distress with SWADHAR, UJJAWALA, SABLA, One Stop Centre, Women Helpline Scheme, Schemes of MoW&CD 
6. Subsidy under PDS

Inspite of all these provisions, women still don’t use these shelter home enough.

“ In a survey conducted by National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4), 27 per cent of women have experienced physical violence since age 15 in India.”

This shows how women in India are facing a pathetic situation. There are shelter homes everywhere which provide support for the women to build up their own beautiful life.

Writer’s Note:

In my process of writing the article for Hidden Pockets on shelter homes I observed that not all the homes mentioned on the google are actually functioning. It was really difficult to find a proper shelter home which was functioning and can give us enough information about their shelter home and the condition of homes in Karnataka. This shows how bad situations a women can face in finding one.

The conditions of government homes are really bad, we only find number of helpline numbers but not shelter homes. I personally think not just the NGOs but even the government should set up shelter homes all over the rural areas of India.

Author: Jyoshna