MORE than 300 homeless people are still being sheltered at Kuala Lumpur City Hall’s (DBKL) temporary centres as the authorities decide what to do with them.

These 304 homeless are from the earlier group of more than 800 who were picked up at the start of the movement-control order (MCO) on March 18.

DBKL corporate planning department director Khairul Azmir Ahmad told The Malaysian Insight they are waiting for instructions from the government on what to do with the 304 currently housed in seven shelters across the city.

Khairul said of the number, 43 are non-citizens who were not sent to Immigration detention centres due to the spread of coronavirus in the depots.

“Six shelters currently house locals while one shelter in Alam Damai is for the 43 non-citizens,” he said.

“We have not received any instructions from the government if we should close down the shelters.

“Therefore, since we are in the recovery phase of the MCO, all the homeless here will still be under the care of DBKL,” Khairul told The Malaysian Insight.  

The homeless are placed at the Tasik Ampang Hilir community centre (44), Sentul Perdana community centre (52), Desa Tasik sports complex (50), Alam Damai Cheras multipurpose hall (43), Setiawangsa community hall (64), Bukit Bandaraya (21) and Bukit Damansara (30).  

Khairul also said that senior citizens and those mentally unsound will be handed over to the Social Welfare Department and Health Ministry (MOH) respectively.

He said currently there are 103 senior citizens and 18 who have mental illnesses at the DBKL shelters.

Some 800 homeless people were housed in DBKL shelters during the MCO. Most of them have been reconciled with their families while the others were given jobs by the authorities.

Last month, 43 people from these shelters were offered jobs in poultry farms and food manufacturing plants in Perak.

They found employment through interviews arranged by the government. The workers will each be paid a monthly salary of RM1,400 to RM1,600.

Harumi Brands Sdn Bhd and Top Glove are among the companies working with the Federal Territories Ministry and the Labour Department on the job placement programme for the homeless.

Federal Territories Minister Annuar Musa said DBKL will also find job placements for some of these homeless people within its organisation.

In some cases, the work is brought to the shelters for the residents to do. Annuar said 500 people are expected to find jobs through the programme. – June 12, 2020.