As per the 10th five year plan (2007- 2008), there was a shortfall of 24.71 million houses (approximately 2.5 crores) in urban India., 90 per cent of this shortfall affects the EWS (Economically Weaker Sections) and LIG (Lower Income Group) sections. The Government's approach has been to allow housing shortages to grow exponentially, closing its eyes to the abysmal conditions in which thousands of slum dwellers and homeless citizens live, and comfortably envisaging and endorsing the vision of a beautiful city. To turn this into a reality the government mercilessly switches to the strategy of demolition and relocation.
CityMakers, or urban poor / homeless citizens, occupy less than one-tenth of city space. But the Government authorities do not tire of saying that there is no land for EWS / LIG housing. However, there seems to be enough land for the rich to buy and stock as farm houses. On the other hand, the urban poor and the homeless citizenry, who play a significant constructive role in a city's 'development', languish in the remote corners of the city. Ironically, these very CityMakers are seen as a drain on the urban economy. We forget that our cities would collapse if it wasn't for them.
The CityMakers Programme of the Indo-Global Social Service Society (IGSSS) is designed to work towards improving the living conditions of the Homeless Citizens, and also to ensure well-equipped shelters for them.
As the title suggests, we call the 'Homeless Citizenry' the 'CityMakers' because they are the real builders of the city, like the construction workers, rickshaw pullers, ragpickers and other daily wage workers.
The project's initiatives include shelter management, media advocacy, vocational training programmes, emergency flood relief camps, healthcare camps and the management of community kitchens.
Achievement
Shelter Management
In 2008, IGSSS conducted a study that revealed the extent of poverty, social exclusion and discrimination being faced by the City Makers of the capital. Based on the findings, around 30 voluntary organisations formed a coalition – "Shahri Adhikar Manch – Begharon ke Liye" (SAM-BKL: Urban Rights Forum for the Homeless).
SAM's concern for homeless citizens in Delhi and its drive against the demolition of shelters for the homeless in December 2009, along with reports about the same in mainstream media, formed the background of the Delhi High Court's and the Supreme Court's directives to the Delhi Government (and later to other States) to set up permanent and temporary shelters for the homeless on a priority basis, in January 2010.
Advocacy efforts of IGSSS and likeminded organizations and the pressure from the Supreme Court of India and the High Court of Delhi resulted in government authorities agreeing to set up an unprecedented number of shelters – 64 permanent and 89 temporary – in Delhi, in the winter of 2010-2011. IGSSS itself manages 6 permanent (including 2 bamboo-canvas shelters) and 9 temporary shelters in the city. The temporary tent shelters were set up in November 2010, and have continued thanks to the efforts of civil society organizations (CSOs), chiefly SAM – BKL (Shahri Adhikaar Manch – Begharon Ke Liye – a network initiated by IGSSS of over 30 organisations working on homelessness and urban poverty in Delhi), and the High Court's support. This is the first time that these shelters have been allowed to stand after the month of March.
IGSSS manages a shelter exclusively for women and children. A livelihood training programme (papad-making) and was organised in November 2010. Moreover, the women were also given another training on Mehendi Putting in September,2011. The shelter is proposed to be converted to a model shelter, with all essential facilities, children's education and recreation, livelihood trainings and cooperatives and a focus on individual development.
Community Kitchen
IGSSS manages a community kitchen at Nigambodh Ghat, (where it also manages three shelters) to provide free breakfast and dinner to approximately 250 CityMakers daily. A kitchen is also functional at the shelter for women and children, and is supported by Samarpan Foundation.
Surveys/Research Studies
IGSSS conducted a survey of homeless citizens in Delhi as a part of the Delhi Government's Mission Convergence. IGSSS managed the Homeless Citizens Resource Centres (HCRCs) in Central and New Delhi, and North Delhi and was responsible for the survey and the distribution of homeless cards in these areas.
Apart from this, the CityMakers team surveyed all 64 permanent shelters in Delhi on December 8, 9 and 10, 2010 and prepared a report on the same which was submitted in the High Court of Delhi. IGSSS was also part of the monitoring team deputed by the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) to inspect 12 permanent shelters in the city on December 29, 2010.
Another significant activity conducted by the CityMakers Programme members was participation in the Census 2011 as volunteers to facilitate the enumeration of homeless citizens on February 27, 28, and March 1, 2011. Gaps were identified in the process which were due to the official enumerators' insensitivity and apathy, IGSSS was able to address a few of these issues by constantly pushing the Census authorities to cover left out areas and communities, and later, making the gaps known to the larger public by means of information dissemination and a press conference. A memorandum on the same was submitted to the Registrar General of India (RGI) on April 13, 2011. Copies of the Memorandum were sent to the President of India, the Prime Minister of India, the Supreme Court of India, the High Court of Delhi, the Chief Minister of Delhi, among others.
IGSSS Bangalore, along with 28 other NGOs, conducted a Rapid Survey of the Urban Homeless in Bangalore on March 9 and March 10, 2010 (two nights with 179 enumerators). The survey found 17, 141 homeless citizens in eight zones of Bangalore. Later in the year, the survey findings were published as 'Invisible CityMakers: An Action Research on Homelessness in Bangalore City 2010'.
This data was submitted in the Supreme Court of India in the form of an affidavit, in response to the affidavit filed by the Karnataka state government on homeless shelters. The state government had put the total number of homeless citizens in the entire state to just 7,561.
Impact
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During the winter, 17 shelters were managed for the homeless (2 bamboo canvas shelters, 3 building shelters, 1 permanent shelter for women & children, and 11 temporary shelters).
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Through community kitchen, 500 homeless people were ensured 3 meals for 15 days during severe winter. Not a single death was reported during this period.
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Through this programme IGSSS is supporting 5 Non Formal Education centres, through our partners in Delhi, covering 600 children.
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Facilitates the issuance of Voter ID Cards, Homeless Cards (Delhi Government), Postal IDs, Ration Cards, Voluntary Organisations' cards to homeless citizens and birth registration of children born to homeless families.
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In several cases of slum eviction, issues concerningshelter & health of homeless mothers, IGSSS has been proactive in evidence collection to build strong cases for filing affidavits in the court & has succeeded in getting stay orders(Baljeet Nagar, Pul Mithai) & issuance of notice for improvement of shelters.
Stories of Change
From the streets in Delhi to a world of possibilities Balkishan has been working with IGSSS as a peer counsellor at the Homeless Citizens Resource Centre (HCRC) Central and New Delhi from December 2010. Before joining IGSSS, he used to sell little trinkets for children at India Gate. He would work through the day and sleep at the children's park near India Gate. Balkishan, who had been afflicted by polio when he was one year old, had been homeless for over three years when he landed a job with the CityMakers Programme at IGSSS.
He was five when his father died, and along with his two brothers and two sisters, was brought up by his mother. The family lived in a small village 19 km away from district Bhiwani in Haryana. When he was in class 8, Balkishan's mother, too, passed away. He continued to study from home, and started working in construction projects as a labour. He later worked in a brick kiln. After appearing his 10th class board exam, he moved to Bhiwani city, where he worked as a vegetable and fruit vendor and a rickshaw puller before setting up a cycle repair shop in 2006. He would go to the repair shop from 8 am to 2 pm, and ply the rickshaw from 2 pm to 2 am.
From 2006 to February 2008, Balkishan ran his cycle repair shop and used to stay in a rented room during his years in Bhiwani, which he says would cost very little compared to rented place in Delhi. In February 2008, there was a robbery at the repair shop. Balkishan then handed over the shop to its original owner and moved to Delhi.
He was initially helped by a handicapped beggar in the Connaught Place area, who guided him to a spot in a park at Janpath where he could sleep at night. For three years, he worked at a PCO, sold gutka and beedis at India Gate, and had started selling children's toys when a friend told him about the vacancy at HCRC Central and New Delhi.
For a couple of months after he started working as a peer counselor, Balkishan continued to sleep at the park near India Gate. Then, on March 10, 2010, he moved to a hostel at Andhra Bhawan and has been staying there ever since, at a rent of Rs 1,000. He is keen to appear for his class 12th board exam and apply for a government job.
Urban Poverty Homelessness India, Urban Homeless Poverty India
The CityMakers Programme is designed to work towards improving the living conditions of urban poor Homeless Citizens, or ‘CityMakers’. The project’s initiatives include shelter management, media advocacy, vocational training programmes, healthcare camps and the management of community kitchens. The CityMakers programme is directly implemented in Delhi and Bangalore while in Lucknow, Kanpur, and Bihar it is being run through partner NGOs.
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Capacity Building of Urban Homeless
Capacity building programme for Young Community Leaders aims to build the capacities of 10 young community leaders from urban slums of 10 cities in India as housing rights activists, and to build a national coalition on urban housing rights. The project will be implemented select cities in the states of Bihar, Rajasthan, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh which fall under Rajiv Awas Yojana. The project is supported by Ford Foundation.
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What We Do 
WHAT WE DO » Key Areas of Intervention
Promoting Sustainable Livelihood
