Night shelters provide warmth in harsh winters for homeless
The shelter homes are taken care of by different voluntary organisations who in turn get grants from the government to run them.
As Delhi witnessed harsh winters, the homeless took a refuge at night shelters that provide free facilities to people looking for comfort on a cold night. “Ren baseras” or night shelters are temporary homes that provide people a place to sleep at night without any charge.
These shelter homes are undertaken by different voluntary organisations, who in turn take grants from the government to run them. They are usually used for sleeping purposes only and are free of cost. They remain open from 1 November till 31March, i.e. the whole winter, every year.
Delhi has one of the highest numbers of homeless people, around 2,00,000 mostly beggars or daily wage labourers who have come from different states and have no place to go when the night falls. It is then these night shelters come to their rescue.
Speaking to The Sunday Guardian, Satish Nerwan, the caretaker of Motia Khan ren basera near Jhandewalan, said, “The shelter home is run by voluntary organisation ‘Safe Approach’ but on government funds. This night shelter is meant mainly for winters only.”
“Living here is free from 1 November. However, people using the facility before November are charged Rs 10 per night and given a receipt for it too,” said Nerwan. The shelters have a blanket spread on the floor while additional blanket is given to each person coming to sleep there.
According to Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board, there are about 150 night shelters on record in Delhi. For safety concerns, a person has to show a proof of identification for staying in these shelter homes, as criminals may also use the shelters. We also check bags of the people coming here to stay.”
Sanjay said that people from voluntary organisations also take routine check-ups of the shelter. “Besides, police also comes in to check the shelters regularly. Sometimes, it so happens that when the NGO people see a homeless person on the road, they bring him or her here,” he added.
Night shelters are established for everyone and anyone who needs night refuge. From daily wagers to single women selling balloons on the road or people living with families, night shelters provide a roof to everyone.
However, the night shelters get overcrowded during winters as more people come in to save themselves from the cold wave. Speaking to this correspondent, a daily labourer said, “During winters, it gets really congested, as this is a family shelter, number of people wanting to stay increases.”
Nerwan said that the Motia Khan shelter home has facilities for more than 300 persons. It is housed in a building and has different floors that are divided. While one section gives roof to men, another section gives shelter to women and another to families.