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PANAJI
The Jesuit priests and NGO Street Providence on Friday opened the first night shelter for homeless men from the capital city at the Jesuit House in Panaji.
The shelter is housed on the first floor of the Jesuit House, near the Panaji Church and can accommodate approximately 30 men, Donald Fernandes, trustee of Street Providence, and the main person behind starting the shelter said.
Speaking at the inaugural, Fernandes explained that homeless men would be picked up by the police and CCP workers and brought to the shelter for the night.
The hall in Jesuit House will serve as the shelter from around 9 pm to 7 am. Each man will be given a mat where they can sleep for the night, a towel, toothbrush and toothpaste, and can use the Sulabh washrooms at the Azad Maidan or near the Ferry Point. An emergency WC can also be used at the Jesuit House.
Fernandes also said that while no food as such is promised, each homeless person is likely to get something warm for breakfast in the mornings.
“This shelter home is a stop-gap arrangement expected to serve homeless men between the stages of being on the street and going for rehabilitation at one of our shelter homes,” he said.
The NGO Street Providence runs a number of 24x7 shelter homes in the State where they house around a 100 inmates currently. In Panaji, the NGO does not yet have a 24x7 home which is why the need for a night shelter arose.
Two volunteers from the NGO who are currently studying nursing, Anil and Boris, will be present at the shelter home every night.
“After the men are in the night shelter, if they feel the need to be rehabilitated and gotten off the street, we can provide them with rehabilitation,” Fernandes said.
If the project takes off well, the NGO will also consider opening a shelter home for women in the city. Fernandes specified that the home is absolutely not for tourists or for working people who earn a salary, but only for the homeless.
The shelter was inaugurated on Friday, where rector of the House, Fr Simon Fernandes did the blessing. Panaji Mayor Uday Madkaikar was in
attendance.
The rector explained that an 11-month agreement had been signed between the Jesuit priests and the NGO for the project.
The hall which the priests are letting out for the home is used for other socio-cultural activities or prayer meetings during the day, and since it is empty at night, the priests decided to give it for this purpose.
The mayor said that the shelter is likely to serve the homeless men especially who sleep outside the shops at the start of 18th June road, as well as those who sleep in the Azad Maidan, and other places in the city.
