KUCHING: Three more transit centres for the homeless or Tempat Transit Gelandangan (TTG) will be built here, and in Bintulu and Miri this year.
Minister for Women, Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah said the new TTGs were a follow-up to the successful establishment of Sibu TTG in 2021.
“The TTG in Miri, which is also a corporate social responsibility project undertaken by Samling Group of Companies, is in the planning stage, with the project site identified and construction is expected to start in August.
“Meanwhile, for the TTG in Bintulu, which costs RM2mil, it will be combined with a community social support centre and it is currently in the pre-implementation stage in collaboration with Bintulu Development Authority.
“As for the TTG in Kuching, it is still in the initial planning stage as a suitable site has yet to be identified,” she said after chairing the Sarawak Coordinating Committee for the Homeless meeting at Wisma Bapa Malaysia here on Tuesday (April 19).
The first TTG in Sarawak was set up in Sibu and officially launched on Jan 28 this year.
Since then, TTG Sibu has provided accommodation for 25 homeless people, 19 of which are male and six are female.
Fatimah also mentioned that the contributing factors to the homeless issue were family problems (38 per cent), mental health (33pct), homelessness (12pct), alcohol and illicit substance addiction (10pct), job dismissal (5pct) and others (2pct).
