HOMELESSNESS is a state of unfortunate circumstances, and this will not be tolerated in a state like Penang, where people’s welfare is paramount.
The state Social Welfare Department (JKM) conducted a rather small-scale operation in the Komtar vicinity earlier this morning to identify homeless individuals, including those who were mentally unstable.
State Social Development, Welfare, and Non-Islamic Religious Affairs Committee chairman Lim Siew Khim headed the operation, during which she personally approached several individuals from the above categories.
While there were still a few individuals roaming around the Komtar bus terminal area aimlessly, Lim said a substantial number of them were submitted to the Penang Homeless Transit Centre in Jalan C.Y. Choy.
Since the centre was established in 2023, more than 100 individuals have been employed in various sectors as a result of the training, leading to the job matching initiative connecting with potential employers.
“The main objective of the operation today was to assist those homeless people, hearing them out, and ultimately encouraging them to head to the transit centre for a safer, cleaner, and beneficial temporary stay.
“We were also joined by staff from the state National Registration Department (JPN), who went on to assist us by doing background checks on those individuals who claimed to have lost or misplaced their identification cards.
“Compared to our previous operations, I do notice an improvement this time, but certainly more will be done to ensure individuals left behind will be assisted too,” she told Buletin Mutiara during her brief visit to the bus terminal this morning.
Also present earlier were Penang JKM Enforcement Department senior assistant director Jamuna Naidu Nessen, northeast district JKM officer Baizlin Hasbi Bedol, and JPN Investigation and Enforcement Department head Mohd Hairul Faiz Harun.
Story by Kevin Vimal
Pix by Siew Chia En