As the Punjab government shuts down night shelters across the province, homeless people are left to face the harsh realities of living on the streets, exposed to extreme weather conditions. The shelters, once established to offer safety and rest, have been closed in the past three years, resulting in a tragic rise in deaths due to the inability of the homeless to find protection from the elements.
In Lahore alone, nearly 1,700 homeless individuals have lost their lives over the past three years, with many of them dying from the effects of severe weather during both the hot summer months and the cold winter nights. A homeless couple, Inam and Asiya, who now sleep near Lal Pul, shared their difficult experience. “We used to stay in a shelter near the railway station, but for the last three years, they have all been shut down. We now sleep near the canal, but sometimes the police harass us,” they said.
The death toll among the homeless, especially during extreme weather, has escalated. Edhi Foundation spokesperson Muhammad Younis Bhatti noted that the absence of shelters has led to a spike in fatalities, particularly when footpaths are unbearably hot in summer or freezing cold in winter. Areas like Data Darbar, Bhati Gate, and Qila Gujar Singh have reported the highest number of unidentified deaths.
Despite the previously built 170 shelter homes across Punjab, only a handful remain operational. Director Social Welfare Muzammil Yaar explained that many of the shelters were closed due to lack of funding, with some originally run by philanthropists now shuttered due to insufficient government support.
Moreover, drug abuse among the homeless has surged by over 40% in the past three years, exacerbated by the lack of shelter and the harsh conditions they face on the streets. Many homeless individuals resort to drugs to pass the time, making them more vulnerable to the extreme weather.
While a government spokesperson stated that efforts are being made to find a permanent solution, the ongoing closure of shelters continues to exacerbate the suffering of homeless individuals, leaving them with little to no protection against the elements.
