Snapshot of the homeless in Ludhiana city: A reflection of urban poverty

Abstract

Poverty is a multidimensional concept and cannot be defined unidimensionally. Poverty means non-fulfilment of the human right to a range of basic capabilities, e.g. nourishment, shelter, education, security, justice, earning a livelihood One of the important components of the right to live with dignity and also a significant constituent of the right to equality is the right to adequate housing. Homeless population with unique problems is the best representative of poverty. The present study has identified the poor in relation to the houseless population, as they have been denied their basic right to shelter due to the absence of housing and lack and complete denial of civic amenities to them, which enhances deprivation and poverty in urban areas. It was this basic idea that a need to conduct a snapshot survey of the homeless population in Ludhiana was considered vital. CRRID team carried out the study in all twelve areas of high concentration of the homeless population in Ludhiana.