22.5.23 7 PM IST
This local goan mam is genuinely homeless last many years as his family has abandoned him due to his disability.
Are there genuine ethnic homeless Goans homeless on the streets in Goa ?
Few days back the media highlighted through various channels that there are no ethnic goans on the streets.
☆ Case no 4
Ganesh Gaonkar for years has been sleeping on the streets of Shiroda in horrible and pathetic state and it was a sad and horrible life he was leading all alone and abandoned.
Attached a picture of him.
Close to 18 months back we rescued him from the streets with the help of ponda police and we tried to rehabilitate him and put him on medication.
Thrice he escaped from our home and all 3 times we went in search of him as he is genuinely homeless and can't think and manage himself without medication.
The last time we rescued him was from margao circle when one of our care givers recognized him as a rag picker with a sack full of bottles
Counseling and medication is not working the way we expected it to work and if he gets another opportunity he will definitely walk away.
Whenever we have repicked him from the streets one will 100% conclude that he is a non goan as his appearance just changes beyond recognition.
Today we understood his mind very well and we have put him on alot of work like washing the utensils, drying the clothes, sweeping and mopping the floor daily.
Kept him so busy that at night he sleeps like a log.
Small small activities give them that sense of understanding that they are wanted by society.
Video attached.👇
Various times I SCAN the CCTV in all our 8 homes numbering close to 120 cameras running non stop 24 *7 and I evaluate each and every inmate to see how best their disability can be worked up upon so that they can get help.
Very difficult at times trying to evaluate close to 165+ people and fit a schedule for each one of them.
In and around MARGAO CITY there are like 200 to 300 of such unclean men and a few ladies of whom 50% are ethnic goans who are genuinely homeless due to disabilities.
And we call them GHATIS & OUTSIDERS which we are totally wrong.
No one in Goa knows Margao city better than me regarding the homeless and vagabonds that this city is having.
This issue was bound to explode , moment our shelter home in Margao was shut down.
Now who is facing the trouble?
We very rarely, under genuine circumstances accept homeless street people from margao city.
People need to understand the value of shelter homes.
We are often highlighting with actual facts and details of the number of genuine goan turning homeless in our own state and something needs to be done to address this issue.
Our homes are getting loaded and at some point we will Have to stop taking in more admissions as we just don't have space.
Government needs to address these issues before things go out of control.
The only way to reduce homeless is to 1st accept the fact there are genuine homeless and plans are put onto place to solve the homelessness.
No one should deny or refuse to accept that there no genuine homeless goans on the streets of Goa today not after 25 years.
Denying the fact only compounds the problem and that is why homelessness is increasing in Goa by leaps and bounds.
We @ Street Providence are fighting with our backs against the wall against an unseen enemy but one thing good is The Government of Goa through its various departments is backing us up.
But that's not enough .
We require more support from the Government of Goa to reduce if not halt homelessness in Goa
God bless you so much
Donald Fernandes
8380097564 / 7020314848
