Homeless shelters spring-up around Georgia
By Natalie Osipovi
Monday, December 16
Temporary shelters for the homeless were opened in Tbilisi.
Due to the radical decrease in the temperature and the deterioration of the weather, the prime minister of Georgia, Irakli Gharibashvili created the Interagency Working Group and assigned it to solve the urgent problems of vulnerable citizens.
On December 11, Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure of Georgia held the first meeting of the Interagency Working Group on the mentioned topic. The meeting was attended by the Minister of Regional Development and Infrastructure, who is also the chairman of the working group, Davit Narmania, the Minister of Labor, Health and Social Affairs, Davit Sergeenko, also the deputies of the Economy, Finance and Energy Ministers.
The decision was to create shelters for the homeless people of Tbilisi by erecting tents and carriages, which will be provided with hot food, medical care and other urgent needs. The tents will be heated with wood-burning stoves and will be able to accommodate 80 people at a time. The residents will be provided with beds, mattresses, blankets, and electrical access. First of all, these shelters will be created for those people who have no place to live and are compelled to spend the night outdoors.
As Narmania said, the shelters will also be located in Kutaisi, Batumi and Rustavi.
“All the ministries have the opportunity to mobilize the financial means and solve the problem. In the case additional funds are needed, they will be also mobilized and included,” Narmania said.
“There will be located at the capital building, which we will adapt with living conditions, like thermal isolation, beds, etc. Social workers, such as doctors, nurses and social agents are also involved in this process,” Sergeenko mentioned.
The first tent created by the working group is located on Moscow Avenue. On December 12 at 2 a.m., the shelter hosted the first guest. Beso Aloev had been living illegally for two years in Pyatigorsk, Russia, till he was deported to Georgia. “I have been sleeping outside for the last two years. As this freeze has begun, I moved with my classmate. I saw on TV this morning, that the shelter was opened and came here,” Aloev said.
At the moment all people are welcomed at the shelter. According to the working group, non-governmental organizations and ordinary citizens will be also able to support the homeless people with any required items like food, clothes, etc.
In order to make it easier to donate, a hot-line has been set up (2 510 774) which anybody can call and receive all the necessary information on this issue.
