Calm refuge: The new homeless shelter in George Town, Penang. — LIM BENG TATT/The Star
GEORGE TOWN: Security guard Othman Abdullah is used to sleeping on the streets here, spending his nights at the Komtar bus station or near Padang Kota Lama.
Some days, when he is lucky, he can find a spot in drop-in centres like Kawan Centre and Anjung Singgah along Chulia Street.
He may finally have a better place to stay in soon.
A new Transit Centre for the Homeless, with 88 beds, will be opened in Jalan CY Choy on Aug 1.
“I have been homeless for the past 10 years, and the centre will definitely be a big help for homeless community.
“For now, I still go to Kawan Centre or Anjung Singgah but they are often overcrowded and I sleep on the streets,” he said.
The Penang government spent RM4.4mil to build the state’s first homeless transit centre, with Penang Island City Council contributing a plot of land measuring 1,370 sq m.
The centre has two buildings, with one of them a Category Two heritage building (two-storey), which has been conserved and maintained. The other is a three-storey building constructed just behind the heritage building.
The centre also has recreational space for senior citizens, a recycling room, a laundry, a cafe and a community centre that is friendly to the elderly and the disabled.
A view of the interior.
The state Welfare Department (JKM) will be in charge of the centre, with seven workers on duty daily.
At the launching and handing over ceremony from the state government to the state JKM yesterday, Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said the initiative was to help the homeless lead a better life.
“The transit centre will not solve all problems related to the homeless and vagrants but it is a good step forward,” he said.
Chow said the centre was established not only to give the homeless temporary shelter, but to also provide them with adequate food and clothing.
The centre will also provide skills training for the homeless.
State welfare committee chairman Phee Boon Poh said the centre would also be the designated distribution centre for those who want to contribute food or other items to the homeless.
“Both donors and the homeless will be registered in our database so we can ensure that all donated food, drinks and basic necessities reach the targeted group,” he said.
A homeless person can stay at the shelter for a maximum of 14 days.
Phee said the centre would complement the existing drop-in centres in the area, such as the Kawan Centre, Anjung Singgah and The Lighthouse, which is situated near a church in Penang Road.
Also present at the handing over were Komtar assemblyman Teh Lai Heng, mayor Datuk A Rejendran, state secretary Datuk Mohd Sayuthi Bakar and other state assemblyman.
