HCM City brings homeless people to social support centres to reduce panhandling, petty crimes

HCM City has been making an effort to bring homeless people and children into social support centres. — Photo thanhnien.vn

HCM CITY —HCM City is bringing homeless people into social shelters, contributing to tackling the issue of beggars and petty crimes.

According to a recent conference by the HCM City Department of Labour, War Invalids, and Social Affairs, the city has been implementing a policy to support homeless people, beggars (including children) and other groups in need of urgent protection for the last year.

During this time, over 2,350 homeless people were moved to social shelters, a 49 per cent increase year-on-year.

This includes 145 children, 336 elderly people, over 1,000 working-age people (16 to 60 years old), 92 physically disabled people, 368 mentally disabled people, and others.

Over 1,000 of these homeless people have registered addresses in other cities and provinces, and over 500 of them do not have addresses.

The municipal Department of Labour, War Invalids, and Social Affairs also handled 220 cases of individuals in need of urgent protection.

It worked with relevant authorities to provide ID cards with embedded chips and set up digital identity accounts for over 1,500 people, and processed more than 300 cases of individuals without identification documents.

Nguyễn Tăng Minh, deputy director of the Department of Labour, War Invalids, and Social Affairs in HCM City, said that these results were due to the close cooperation between departments and local authorities.

The number of homeless people and criminal incidents, especially theft and drug-related crimes, has decreased, improving both public safety and urban appearance.

However, homelessness still persists due to economic issues, with many people unable to have stable jobs, he said.

People from different regions, suffering from different hardships, have 'migrated' to the southern economic centre in an attempt to make a living.

This continues to put pressure on the city and they struggle to fully address the issue of panhandling, particularly during holidays and festive seasons, and at areas such as religious sites, bus stations, petrol stations, and traditional markets.

On the other hand, some homeless people try to avoid detection from the authorities by pretending to sell lottery tickets and other small items.

Certain individuals are exploiting and instructing beggars (including children) to operate in ways that allow them to stay under the radar, he said.

The Department of Labour, War Invalids, and Social Affairs has proposed that the municipal People’s Committee direct relevant authorities to step up public awareness efforts, encourage community support, and improve coordination to help vulnerable groups, homeless people, and those needing urgent protection.

The city’s 1022 hotline is available to receive reports from the public on children or homeless beggars so that authorities can provide timely support.

HCM City currently has 16 public social support centres, caring for 6,505 people. There are also 64 private social support centres housing 3,177 people. — VNS