TWO shelters for the homeless are being built in the city since February this year, while land is being acquired to build another shelter. Federal Territories Deputy Minister, Datuk Dr Loga Bala Mohan said the shelter in Jalan Sultan Ismail was in the final stage of construction before it could start operating as a food distribution centre for the homeless in early July.
“This centre is almost ready and Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) is now doing the end works like installing the septic tanks and utilities, and bringing in and arranging the furniture,” he said when winding up the debate on the 11th Malaysia Plan for the ministry in the Dewan Negara, here, yesterday.
Loga Bala said the shelter in Jalan Pahang, developed by Malaysian Resources Corporation Bhd (MRCB) under its corporate social responsibility programme, was now 75 per cent completed and expected to be ready by this December. He said among the facilities available would be accommodation rooms for various groups of homeless people, bathrooms, prayer area and a food distribution area. Loga Bala said this shelter could accommodate 250 homeless persons at any one time, adding that its operations would be coordinated by the Social Welfare Department with the cooperation of non-governmental organisations and other relevant government agencies.
“We are still drawing up the guidelines on the duration the homeless can stay there and on separation of the men, women, children and families at the shelter.” For the building of a another shelter, in Jalan Chow Kit, he said DBKL was still in the process of acquiring the land and the shelter was expected to accommodate mainly women and children. — Bernama