Most people on the streets would keep away from the homeless persons with psychosocial disabilities because of their appearance – dirty and dishevelled, matted hair and in some cases, infections on the skin. However with Iswar Sankalpa’s intervention through the Naya Daur programme, slowly and steadily these persons start looking after their basic hygiene needs, caring for their appearance, slowly interacting with the community people and engaging in some rehabilitative tasks.

Though extremely happy with this turn of events, the IS team soon started realising that the homeless women with psychosocial disabilities – now having started to look presentable and on the path to well-being, started attracting unwanted male attention, who earlier stayed away from them out of fear. These women now started appealing to the anti-social male elements who did not hesitate to force themselves on the women, through physical and sexual violence and abuse. There was a need to have the choice of a shelter.

The Supreme Court order dated 10 February 2010 and 05 May 2012 directed State Governments and Union Territories to have night shelters in the ratio of 1 night shelter for per 1 lakh of the population in cities who have a population of more than 5 lakhs. It was due to the development of these circumstances that Sarbari was born, when the networking with the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) resulted in Iswar Sankalpa being provided space for a women’s shelter in Chetla in April 2010.

This work, and experiences in Outreach which showed lack of any alternatives for homeless men with psychosocial disabilities with comorbid conditions, older men, and the propensity of some of them being sexually abused, the organisation further engaged with the KMC for a place for Marudyan – the men’s shelter. The men’s shelter was thus started in April 2015.

Deepak Chaudhury was brought to the men’s shelter in June 2016 in a poor health condition. He used to live with his cousins in his ancestral house, but due to his mental health issues, his family abandoned him. Within a few months of coming to the shelter, his health improved dramatically given tailored treatment and care, and he started working in a stationery shop as a shop assistant as well.

But after a few months, he decided to discontinue his medication and started consuming alcohol. He stopped going to work and had a relapse. The shelter team stepped in for a more intensive hand-holding process to help him adjust better. Over time, Deepak’s developed a deep understanding about his condition and is now taking good care of himself. He now works as a delivery boy at H.R Synergies and is doing well for himself.

A woman evidently suffering from malnutrition was referred by the Garden Reach Police Station to Sarbari in August 2016. She was wearing a school dress, kept sobbing and did not interact with anyone at all. After a few days however, she shared her name was Champa. In due time, she began to participate in shelter activities and her rapport with others was also gradually established.

It was only after months that she shared that her actual name was Sushma Malchapare and that she hails from Karnataka. She shared that her alcoholic husband and father-in-law were so physically abusive that she had to return to her maternal home. But soon she felt restless at home and fled. She shared that it was the initial mistrust which kept her from revealing her real name to others.

Sushma had studied till college first year but had forgotten a lot of her reading and writing skills over time. She was enrolled into Functional Literacy classes and soon appeared for NIOS exams. Sushma then became a part of a self-help group Mousumi Staff Canteen, making food with a smile.  During a choice-making session, Sushma shared her interest in the Café project: Crust and Core, where she completed her training and started working with a home baker. In the meanwhile, her family was contacted by the Iswar Sankalpa team.

Sushma expressed her wish to continue working, and saving money before going back to her family. She also shared she was a mother. The team was also in regular touch with the family to support them through this transition. Sushma was finally reunited with her family in 2019.

She worked in a food joint for a while in Karnataka but eventually decided to get engaged in the family’s agricultural work.

Her confidence and self-determination since the early days has only grown tremendously, and we hope it will continue to take her forward.