LETTERS: Research has shown that the main issue about addressing the homeless is due to disagreements about the definition of homelessness, thus, making the subject matter complex and producing inaccurate statistics.
The Women, Family and Community Development Ministry and welfare organisation Desa Bina Diri categorise homeless as destitute, which, according to the Destitute Persons Act 1977, means:
ANY person found begging in public places in such a way as to cause or to likely cause annoyance to persons frequenting the place or otherwise create nuisance; or,
ANY idle person found in publicplaces, whether or not he is begging, who has no visible means of subsistence or place of residence, or is unable
to give a satisfactory account of himself.
The old perceptions of "homeless being drifters and troublemakers" or "soup kitchens are encouraging people to remain homeless and jobless" should not be mainstream.
Hence, the government and participating organisations need to fix a clear definition of homeless to prevent inefficient policies or the understatement of the reality of homelessness.
Regular monitoring on the status of the homeless should be done on an annual basis to increase people's awareness about it.
A proper definition would help in gaining accurate statistics of the homeless to ensure sufficiency of shelter and government homes for the homeless.
In April, about 800 homeless people in Kuala Lumpur were placed in temporary shelters during the Movement Control Order (MCO).
For MCO 2.0, the authorities should conduct a street count as more people would have lost their jobs.
Helping the homeless should be a shared responsibility between the government, welfare-implementing agencies, non-governmental organisations and the public.
Anecdotally, we can observe that an increasing number of NGOs has been trying to support the homeless (soup kitchens), particularly since the pandemic started, via food distributions, free haircuts, medical aid, legal and counselling services.
There is a need to welcome participation and feedback from NGOs that are more experienced with the homeless.
This way, policy formulation or assistance can be suited to those who need help and the kind of help they require.
The old perceptions of "homeless being drifters and trouble makers" or "soup kitchens are encouraging people to remain homeless and jobless" should not be mainstream.
Other issues leading to homelessness, such as low wages and unemployment and lack of low-cost housing, need to be addressed.
The authorities should provide minimum wage, steady employment and consider a home protection scheme, which can end or reduce homelessness.
A ministerial working group should be formed by involving the Women, Family and Community Development, Health, Human Resources and Federal Territories ministries, alongside consultation with the homeless and NGOs.
In the United Kingdom, for example, there is a ministerial working group to tackle and prevent homelessness. It publishes reports and policy papers regularly.
Homelessness might appear to be a complicated issue to be solved, but without effort and empathy to do it, more people will suffer.
SOFEA AZAHAR
EMIR Research, Kuala Lumpur
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times