: IAS Officer’s Simple Idea Shelters Hundreds of Homeless During the Pandemic #IndiaNEWS #Civil Servants The scenes of helpless migrant workers and the destitute putting themselves and their families

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IAS Officer’s Simple Idea Shelters Hundreds of Homeless During the Pandemic #IndiaNEWS #Civil Servants
The scenes of helpless migrant workers and the destitute putting themselves and their families at risk of the coronavirus, by walking back to their native lands in the aftermath of the nation-wide lockdown, were unfortunate and brutal. With strict impositions, they were rendered penniless and even begging was not an option, as the streets were deserted.  
According to an IndiaSpend report, 60 per cent of India’s 1. 77 million homeless were provided lockdown relief between 9 March and 3 May 2020. This included food, water, regular health check ups and makeshift tents or camps. The rest were left to fend for themselves.  
Kerala was one of the 14 states to take action and the Kozhikode district immediately rose to the occasion to implement a successful rehabilitation model. In a laudable move, District Collector S Seeram Sambasiva Rao set up the Udayam Charitable Society to establish and run four shelter homes in East Hill, Mankavu, Vellimadukunnu and Chevayur.  
Campus of a shelter home
Close to 1,500 homeless were taken off the streets and transferred to the homes in the last 18 months. Additionally, the district administration also took the responsibility of reuniting the homeless with their families, giving them skill training and employment opportunities.
‘Nammude Kozhikode’
Inmates were provided food, health services, skill training and employment
Two years ago when Seeram, a 2012-batch IAS officer was posted in the district, one of his goals was to provide shelter homes to the street dwellers under the state’s ‘Nammude Kozhikode’ project for development.  
“Way before COVID-19 hit India, we conducted multiple visits at railway stations, bus stands, public parks and more to analyse the situation of the homeless. Majority of them were migrant workers from North India who were working as wage labourers and domestic help. We told them about giving them a shelter home but they refused. It was hard for them to believe that the government was going to take efforts for them. After that attempt failed, during the lockdown we got another opportunity, and this time the situation was different,� Seeram tells The Better India.  
He says that it was more crucial to rehabilitate them quickly as they were at a higher risk of contracting the virus and some already suffered from other illnesses. “Comorbidities could worsen these cases. While on the surface they had health risks, we had to also take into account the psycho-social implications of being alone and jobless in an unfamiliar region,� he says.  
Inmates getting medical check ups
The first step was to send back as many people as possible to their villages and the remaining ones were first shifted to a makeshift camp with the help of NGOs and welfare organisations.

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