On Friday Prime minister IMRAN KHAN inaugurated a newly established shelter home for homeless people in Peshawar.Shelter home is a very good idea and a positive step in right direction .It should be done in a well organized way to make beneficial to society at large. Shelters for homeless people suffer from many problems like internal and external problems and perceptions issues. For internal issues, the system is prone to mismanagement and corruption.
This has been issue even in advanced countries with strict management procedures. In our country, mismanagement and corruption are the most common issues in our official setups especially where alot of public funds and facilities are available. To counter this issue, a very strict watchdog system should be established. The bigger problem comes up with the external issues that are not under the control of the shelter home management staff. For example, an increased rate of crime on the street around the shelter surroundings or more disturbance for women folks in these areas. They need to be properly looked after and managed to avoid these issues.
Secondly, due to lack of education and the personal social issues of homeless people, they may resort to violence against the staff sometimes. Also, due to lack of hygenic practices, health problems may crop up as well for using the sleeping and eating facilities together under the single roof. Thirdly, the bigger issue in our society is the wide spread poverty and low income capacity of people .People with low income may take advantage of this facility. It would most probably because of their poverty that would push them into using this facility. Therefore, a system should be developed to enable the very needy people to avail this facility
Fourthly, government should provide opportunities to co-ordinate export based industries to provide job opportunities and working facilities to these homeless people .This will also make a positive image. Vocational training could be provided especially to the youth .These facilities could be used to enable them to make a decent living and contribute to the society at large. Overall, it’s a step in right direction and it’s a good thought for greater social benefit and also for economy.
Sarah Asmat Afridi
Peshawar
