Sarawak's first transit centre for the homeless to be ready by August

KUCHING, March 1  -- Sarawak’s first transit centre for the homeless (TTG) being set up in Sibu, is expected to be ready in August this year, says state Welfare, Community Well-Being, Women, Family and Children’s Development Minister, Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah.

She said the TTG would be in a building of the Malaysian Government Servants Welfare and Sports Council (Maksak) building which was being renovated since last Jan 30.

‘When ready, the TTG can accommodate 20 homeless men and 20 homeless women with facilities such as bedrooms, counselling room, treatment rooms and dining area,” she said at a news conference after chairing the Sarawak Homeless Issue Coordination Meeting at her office, here, today.

"This is just a transit centre, not a permanent home for them, so we provide the facilities for them to take baths or clean themselves, change their clothes and have dinner before sleeping.

“We will also provide a car wash area for them to earn a living and a place to keep the foodstuff donated by the public for them,” she added.

Fatimah said in the morning, the homeless could leave the TTG to do odd jobs to earn income.

She also said that charity group, Shan Xin Malaysia, Sibu Chapter was the main non-governmental body identified to manage the TTG’s operations.

On a related development, Fatimah said that in the first two months of this year, her ministry conducted 30 operations to assist 64 homeless people comprising 26 from Miri district, Kuching (19), Sibu (seven), Samarahan (four), Sarikei and Limbang (three each), and Sri Aman and Bintulu (one each).

Last year, 83 operations were conducted involving 237 homeless people, with 90 of them in Kuching division, Bintulu (43), Sibu (41), Miri (21), Sri Aman (18), Sarikei (nine), Limbang  (seven), and Kapit and Serian (two each).

-- BERNAMA