Despite already being in his 60s, Somchai Saengwit suddenly felt like he was facing a dead end after his wife ran away to live with her new husband and his three adult-age children went their separate ways.
Thanyaburi Home for the Destitute (Men) in Pathum Thani province is home to almost 600 people. Apichit Jinakul
"I drank so much alcohol I started to become psychologically unwell. I had no family left so I took off from home and decided to wander around aimlessly," recalled Somchai of the moment he began calling himself a stray -- no home, no work, no money.
A native of Bangkok, Somchai went from place to place trying to find jobs that could at least buy himself anything to keep his stomach full. From a worker at a shrimp farm, then a duck pen then a construction labourer, he did it all. The street was always his bed.
Two-and-a-half years ago, Somchai was brought to the Thanyaburi Home for the Destitute (Men) in Pathum Thani province by a team of social workers. Here he started his life anew. "Life is much better here. Otherwise I would have run away long ago," said the now 65-year-old.
In Thailand, there are 11 Homes for the Destitute, which are operated under the Social Development and Welfare Department, the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security. These homes care for people like Somchai -- someone with no means to live, no family, no access to food and no possessions as well as those who run away from home due to various reasons.
But before ending up at any of the residences, these underprivileged first enrol for help at a state Centre for the Destitute, which are available in all of Thailand's provinces. These centres do preliminary screening, assessing the poor if they need further assistance like a place for long, if not permanent, stay or mental rehabilitation. Centres for the Destitute allow a stay for no more than 15 days. So people who need a place to live for longer than that will be referred to a Home for the Destitute.
These state-run facilities for poor, runaway people have become a subject of controversy and public questioning during the past months following a state fund embezzlement scandal. In February, two university students who interned at the Khon Kaen-based centre lodged a complaint with the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), saying they were forced to falsify receipts totalling 6.9 million baht for welfare and other payments.
This later resulted in investigations that expanded to other centres across Thailand and eventually led to the directors of the Khon Kaen and Chiang Mai centres being transferred to inactive posts. According to the news, initial probes have found irregularities in 56 of 77 centres nationwide. The ongoing scandal is one of the most blatant and shocking corruption cases ever exposed, all the more depressing since the embezzlers have taken money meant for the poor.
While disciplinary inquiries and fact-finding inspections are still under way, on the other side, staff at all Centres and Homes for the Destitute countrywide do not put their duties on a halt. As of now, thousands of Thais are dependent on much-needed assistance at all 11 Homes for the Destitute which are located in Chiang Mai, Phitsanulok, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Phetchaburi, Nonthaburi, Saraburi, Nakhon Ratchasima, Si Sa Ket and two in Pathum Thani.
Thailand currently has over 70,000 destitute people, according to statistics from the Department of Social Development and Welfare. Of this number, only around 4,400 stay at the 11 Homes for the Destitute. Of them, around 2,000 suffer psychological conditions, 99 are beggars, while the rest are physically and mentally normal.
Napa Settakorn, director-general of the Social Development and Welfare Department. Apichit Jinakul
By law, the definition of "destitute" is quite broad. But according to the director-general of the Social Development and Welfare Department Napa Settakorn, they are homeless people who are abandoned or cannot be taken care of by their families due to financial difficulties or other reasons.
"While we help them and look after them, our goal is not for them to stay with us permanently," said the director-general. "We give them training, rehabilitation and development in the hope that one day they can take care of themselves and return to society."
Home for the Destitute, therefore, are not just places where poor people come to eat and sleep. They are here to be equipped with vocational know-how too.
"Most importantly, the destitute must be trained so that in the end they have a job and can lead a stable life. When we say we want them to return to the society, it doesn't necessarily mean returning to their old families. They can have a new career in a new community and create a new family of their own."
Certainly, such an ideal goal sounds easier said than done given a number of the destitute are old and frail while many have other impairments that affect how they think and function. That explains why many at Homes for the Destitute cannot be trained and thus have no choice but to be institutionalised for the rest of their lives.
"We have to understand that for old or mentally sick people, it's not easy and sometimes impossible for them to learn new things. A lot of families refuse to take them back too and these destitute people themselves do not want to be the burden of their own families either. So we have to let them stay," Napa said.
Uthen Chanakul, director of the Thanyaburi Home for the Destitute (Men). Apichit Jinakul
Take the situation at the Thanyaburi Home for the Destitute (Men), for example. Its director Uthen Chanakul explained that the shelter is now home to almost 600 people. Some have been staying here for over 20 years because not every one can be trained to earn a living.
"Our residents are categorised into three groups. Group A is those who can care for themselves and others. Group B is people who can care for themselves but are not capable of helping others while Group C is those who have to always rely on assistance. Unfortunately, Group A is the smallest part of the pie here," Uthen said.
Also 80% of residents at the Thanyaburi home are on medication to keep their psychological conditions at bay, so understanding them and treating them as they are is paramount, he said.
"Here is pretty much like a mental asylum," he said. "So matching the right person with the right job training is important."
Homes for the Destitute are open to people aged 18 on up. Each year, the state allocates a budget of about 22,000 baht for each person which covers food, clothing, medicine and other personal items for daily use. For people who lack means of subsistence, this sum of money spells a much better life than being homeless.
"I have everything I need," said Somchai. Here he has been trained to make handwoven mats. If he is lucky, sometimes his work earns him several hundred baht a month. "Here I have three meals a day, a clean bed, clothes, toothpaste, soap, medicines, everything. At least I don't have to sleep in the rain."
A career and financial security are surely a must-have ingredient for a well-settled life. But Napa said this should go hand-in-hand with warmth and bonding among family members.
"Different people have different financial statuses and it's impossible to make them all equal in terms of that," she commented. "But we should help them any way we can so they won't become society's burden. That said, it comes down to each family and each community. They should be encouraged to take care of their own members.
"Ask yourself if you can live a life of self-sufficiency. If you can, then society will survive. These days people yearn for happiness, lavishness and whatever progressive ideas they adopt from modern countries. But if we know how to be sufficient, we will be more caring towards one another.
"Family members care for one another. People in the community care for each other. This will help alleviate the problem of the destitute because they will not think of running away from their own family in the first place."
