Transit centre gives new hope to the homeless

KUALA LUMPUR: Where once he slept on the cold cement floor, exposed to strong winds and mosquitoes, 38-year-old Zali now gets to lay his body to rest on a comfortable mattress each night.

Zali, who ekes a living by collecting disposed items for recycling purposes, is among the 90-odd people who are now staying at Kuala Lumpur Homeless Transit Centre which was opened last Wednesday.

The centre, which is located in a three-storey building near the Jalan Pahang roundabout, has 200 beds and toilet facilities, a prayer room and a health centre managed by the Red Crescent Society.

There are also free clothes donated by the public while nongovernmental bodies provide meals each day.

The centre was set up after a surprise visit by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak in July, 2014, to see for himself the condition of the homeless in the city.

Before the centre was completed, the government had set up the Homeless Temporary Service Centre at Lorong Medan Tuanku 2, off Jalan Sultan Ismail, which only provided toilets, bathrooms, prayer rooms as well as a food distribution point for homeless persons.

Zali, who is from Gelang Patah, Johor, and formerly an accounts clerk but a twist of fate landed him in prison for almost a decade, said he can now leads a more settled life at the centre.

Although he can now take baths, pray, rest and eat properly and not on the five-footways, he could not forget the bitter experience he went through.

“When it rained, I slept in the cold, and I risked my life as I was exposed to lightning and thunder,” he told Bernama when met at the centre yesterday.

He said just being able to rest at the centre made him more positive in life even though he was an exconvict.

Now Zali is keen to look for a job, despite the criminal record he carries which made it difficult for him to find permanent and stable employment.

In the case of a former lorry driver who only wanted to be known as Rozy, 40, life as a homeless person in Kuala Lumpur began five months ago after he arrived in the city in search of a job.

“I came here with only RM50 in hand, luckily there is this centre for me to seek shelter, and even clothes donated by the public.

According to a spokesman of the centre, since the centre was not officially opened yet, homeless persons who wanted to stay there need only register at the counter.

Earlier, Federal Territories Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Mansor was reported as saying the centre, which was built at a cost of RM3 million, was a temporary shelter for the homeless to sleep, rest, eat and pray.

Meanwhile, project director for the Kechara Soup Kitchen, Justin Cheah, said the group was willing to work with the government to ensure the success of the centre. - Bernama