Night Shelter, safe haven from sleeping rough |12 July 2014

While Seychelles does not have any truly homeless people, the government has seen that the Night Shelter it has set up is being used by a dozen people who are deterred from sleeping on the street when their family relations disintegrate.

A delegation led by Designated Minister Vincent Meriton on Thursday visited the Night Shelter at North East Point where five residents are now spending the night, a service set up by the Ministry of Social Affairs, Community Development and Sports to deter people from sleeping on the streets at night.

Other members of the delegation included the principal secretary for Social Affairs Linda-William Melanie and members of the National Assembly’s Assurance Committee. The committee, chaired by Bernard Arnephy, was following up on the assurance given by Minister Meriton when answering a question in July 2013 from Les Mamelles MNA Emmanuel Fideria about the shelter. The committee has expressed its appreciation with the operations of the shelter.

The residents are in their late 40s. On admission they are taken to the shelter for the first time and given general information on the operation and rules of the shelter, given a bath, hot meal and warm bed to sleep in. There are separate quarters for males and females. In the morning they are given breakfast and they go about their way. The Night Shelter began operations in February of this year and since then, 12 people have benefitted from the night service.

PS  William-Melanie said the shelter should not be seen as a sign to encourage more people to start sleeping on the streets.

“We have very strict rules to follow and for those who do get a place to sleep, a counseling exercise is initiated with their families for their future re-integration in their homes,” the PS said.

She explained that the shelter was in response to a sudden alarming situation where an increasing number of people were seen sleeping rough in Victoria at night last year, giving a false impression that they were homeless.

Homeless by definition is the condition of people without regular dwelling because they are unable to acquire or maintain regular, safe and adequate housing. It also applies to people who sleep rough in public or private spaces, such as on the streets, under the bus stops or under the shops, that are not designed for sleeping purposes.

Following an in-depth exercise carried out by the social affairs division in the Ministry of Social Affairs, Community Development and Sports over the past year, findings clearly indicate that there are no homeless people in Seychelles.

“From information collected by our social workers, we know that these people, the majority being men, who wander the streets, are not homeless,” PS William-Melanie said.

The exercise carried out in collaboration with Nou La Pour Ou last year and churches helped to identify some 55 people who have been sleeping rough. The majority of these people have been reintegrated with their families without having to go through the shelter.

“These people have families, relatives and friends. They have a roof over their heads, but most of the time they end up on the streets because of their unruly behaviour mainly due to substance abuse, leading to disruptive relationship with their loved ones. They do have financial means as they benefit from either social security, welfare, but due to their addiction, the money is usually given to their care takers for obvious reasons,” PS William-Melanie said.

PS William-Melanie pointed out that the situation of people sleeping on the streets has improved remarkably with the opening of the shelter.

The information is further corroborated by the fact that misleading media reports on this issue make use of illustration of old people sleeping on the streets in other countries and not from Seychelles to support their stories.  

However, the PS said if ever there are cases where elderly people have been found to be sleeping on the street, the social affairs division should be notified.

“Our social workers will work with the individual to find out where he/she originally comes from. If it is a case due to mental illness we will work with the Wellness Centre or Psychiatric Unit to get the person appropriate treatment but if she/he comes from a home, then we will work with the family,” she said.

At the moment there are over 10,000 people who have reached old age, benefitting from either social security or pension fund. Those who cannot care for themselves are looked after by carers and for those who cannot stay with their families, the government has over the years invested millions of rupees in Old People’s Homes.

“We don’t have a situation where our pensioners are walking the streets, penniless,” she said, adding that if there are abuses, people should come forward and file a complaint.

The ministry acknowledges, however, that street prostitution still remains a concern.  At the moment these people, the majority being young females, are being removed from the streets by the police but the social affairs division is working on a project to set up another facility to work and counsel these women so they can be treated and find decent work.

Nonetheless, PS William-Melanie said there is another group of young men, who end up in vagabondage on the streets after their families have given up on them due to anti anti-social behaviour or drug addiction. They walk the streets dirty and unkempt. These young men, she said, are physically fit and can work, but choose to rummage the dustbins searching for pet bottles or loiter around causing a nuisance to others, instead of finding decent work. This is also the case with a few women, in their working age, who have developed a bad habit of begging on the streets.

“This situation where some media glorify such behaviour cannot be tolerated. We cannot encourage people to live wild, bathe in the rivers and respond to the call of nature everywhere. This will lead to anarchy and social disintegration. We condemn these actions and we call on people to respect the rule of law in the country. We have laws against vagrancy and we will work with the police to ensure that these laws are enforced.

The government has over the last three decades invested in the well-being of people so much so that Seychelles is one of the rare countries which take care of its people from conception to the grave.

There are services to care for people and various non-governmental organisations are supporting several social causes. The Wellness Centre and Mont Royale are there to treat those suffering from drug addiction. Drug addicts even get an allowance to maintain them financially when on treatment. We are spending millions in the methadone programme. We have a robust and remarkable drug and prisoner rehabilitation programme at Coetivy for those willing to detox in a more natural environment and our probation services and employment are there to work with ex-convicts so when they are released they do find work, re-integrate in their families and society as wholesome individuals. The government has invested in social housing for those with no means to put a roof over their heads and recently a series of schemes and housing subsidies have been launched as further assistance.

“Government has invested in all these services, but the family remains the cradle of the society. At a time where there is a call for social renaissance, families have an important role to play in ensuring that each and everyone takes responsibility for their own lives. Our values should protect us from falling prey to social ills and for those who have fallen there is always an avenue to seek help and find a way out, without having to sleep rough,” Minister Meriton said.

The accompanying photographs show Minister Meriton and his delegation on their tour of the Night Shelter on Thursday.

Contributed