2 Shelters To Be Built For Homeless Persons In Bangkok

[george]

2 shelters to be built for homeless persons in Bangkok

BANGKOK: -- Two temporary shelters for homeless persons would be built in Bangkok Noi area and near Bangkok's Mor Chit 2 Bus Terminal.

Bangkok's homeless people amounted to 1,600 while there were about 6,000 such persons nationwide, Social Development and Human Security Minister Sutha Chansaeng said Thursday.

The Community Organisations Development Institute (CODI) had tackled the issue by renting a 350squaremetre land in Bangkok Noi area from the State Railway of Thailand to build a two-storey temporary shelter to support some 60 homeless persons, he said.

-- The Nation 2008-03-13

[george]

The country's homeless is on the rise

But the government says its economic stimulus packages will solve the crisis.

BANGKOK: -- Social Development and Human Security Minister Sutha Chansaeng said Thursday there are just 1,600 homeless in Bangkok, and 6,000 in the whole country.

But, the Four Regions' Slum Association said homeless and slum dwellers are on the rise. They are getting younger, too.

In 1997, most homeless and slum dwellers were aged between 50 and 55. Eight years later the average age had slipped to between 35 and 45 years, according to association chairman Suchin Eiumin.

He said numbers are up because of outofwork farmers heading to the capital for jobs. In addition, factories are laying off staff because of tough economic times. Many homeless are exconvicts who can't get work.

The government has rented land from the State Railway in Bangkok and is building two temporary shelters for the homeless. One is in Bangkok Noi and the other near the Mor Chit Bus Terminal.

The Community Organisations Development Institute will built the twostorey shelters, each housing about 60 people. Residents will be given house registration, making them eligible for social welfare, health, vocational training and other benefits.

--The Nation 2008-03-13

[Spacer]

So what about the other 1,480 ?

[haybilly]

So what about the other 1,480 ?

Their figures are way out--there's far, far more than those numbers indicate.

[cali4995]

Far more than those numbers indicate is right. I was visiting Udon for a few

weeks and I was really taken aback at the number of homeless camping out

at the bus station and all over the downtown area. Given, it was during that

rather frigid cold spell but I can only imagine 100x that in the bangkok city.

Thailand has problems with mental illness, people who lost control of their lives

due to drugs just like other countries. Do buddhists perceive this is just fate?

I very rarely hear about social programs to help any of these people.