BACKGROUND
People living on the streets are one of the most overlooked and neglected people in the country, and number anywhere between 1.7 million (official estimates) to 3 million people (civil society estimates). It is estimated that most of the homeless in India live in urban areas located on the outskirts of cities under bridges or other public areas where they are permitted to seek shelter.
Homelessness leads to a multitude of other problems such as:
- Hunger
- Poor health and disease
- Mental and emotional stress including depression
- Substance abuse
- Unemployment
- Physical and sexual abuse
- Child labor
- Trafficking
Homelessness cuts off access to health care and many basic services and also disproportionately affects women, children, the disabled and the elderly to a larger degree. Homelessless impacts all aspects of a person’s life – mental, emotional and physical – and places the life of a man, woman or child at great risk. When natural disasters such as floods occur, homeless people often bear the brunt of the devastation and lose the little that they have.
OUR TRANSFORMERS PROGRAM
When Youngistaan Foundation volunteers were out on food distribution drives, we came across many homeless people and witnessed firsthand the ailing conditions – both physical and psychological – they were suffering from. We immediately put together teams of volunteers to fulfill the personal needs of thousands of homeless people and revive their dignity by providing:
- a space for bathing
- a haircut and a shave
- a change of clothes
- any required first aid
- on-ground counselling
- connecting to employment opportunities
- access to shelter homes and skill development centers
Counselling
An important element of the Transformers program is the crucial counselling work we engage in with homeless men, women and children. It is our objective to help them understand and realize their self-worth.
Old Age Home
We understand the unique challenges faced by elderly homeless people, who often have no family members to rely upon and are not physically able to get access to essential services. To this end, we have partnered with an old age home so that the elderly homeless have a safe place to live.
OUR IMPACT
- We have reached out to and helped 2,000+ homeless people with transformative care
GET INVOLVED
- use your health-and-hygiene skills on-ground to care for the homeless
- use your counselling skills to assist the homeless with empathic counselling
KEY FACTS
- There are 1.7 million homeless people in India – GOI Census 2011
- There are 3 million homeless people living in India – Civil Society Organizations
- 52.9% of all homeless people in India are in urban areas (47.1% in rural areas) – GOI Census 2011
FURTHER READING
Youngistaan Foundation Program Brochure
