Homeless in city of birth: 3 out of 5 Indians without roof not migrants -Pheroze L Vincent

-The Telegraph

Dalits account for over a third of the homeless

New Delhi: Three in five homeless people surveyed across 15 Indian cities have said they were born in the city they now live in, a situation implying families trapped in destitution down the generations.

A strong caste link too has emerged, with Dalits accounting for over a third of the homeless, double their share of India’s population.

The European Union-funded study by the NGOs Indo-Global Social Service Society and Organisation Functioning For Eytham’s Respect (Offer) surveyed 4,382 homeless people in 15 cities across five states.

Of the 40 per cent among the homeless that were migrants, 78.9 per cent had migrated in search of livelihood, followed by 13.7 per cent who did so because of family conflict.

That 60 per cent of the homeless were natives of their city indicated an “inter-generation cycle of urban poverty and homelessness” of populations that face a “continuous struggle to secure their rights and entitlements,” says the survey report, released on Thursday to mark World Homeless Day.

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