Shelter for Urban Homeless

Aastha Jadabpur

Aastha Jadabpur is running this programme in align with the National Urban Housing & Habitat Policy (NUHHP), 2007 that aims at promoting sustainable development of habitat in the country with a view to ensuring equitable supply of land, shelter and services at affordable prices to all sections of the society. We believe that the most vulnerable of these are the urban homeless that contribute to the economy and as a cheap labor in the informal sector; they live with no shelter or social security protection.

It has been evident that the urban homeless survive with many challenges like no access to elementary public services such as health, education, food, water and sanitation. This programme is providing shelter equipped with essential services as safe and secured homely atmosphere to live, individual or family counseling, nutritious foods, basic education to children, awareness programmes on special events and various burning social issues, emergency medical attention, general health check-up, eye check-up etc.

Besides shelter, education with tiffin and nutritious food are being provided to approximately more than 600 homeless of Kalighat, Tarakeswar, Chandannagar and Sonarpur Rajpur area. The project staffs and some of the board members are taking utmost care to ensure a healthy home environment for these homeless people. Aastha Jadabpur is providing nutritious three course meals to the children and also providing morning and evening classes to the children of SUH-Kalighat along with tiffin. Family counseling and individual counseling are being done to understand their mental ability, to keep them mentally stable especially during this pandemic situation. Periodical health check-up, emergency medical attention, eye check-up and others are done by experienced medical personnel with free medication. We arrange awareness programmes too on special days or events and on various burning social issues or taboos. In addition Life Enrichment Exercises (LEEs) are practiced to grow saving habits, good social communication skills, information on Government schemes etc., so that they can be able to fight despite ofvarious disparities.