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Friday, December 19, 2014

Group undeterred by funding cut, vows to keep serving Chow Kit’s needy

A picture of a homeless man having his dinner in Chow Kit. Non-profit group Pusat Bantuan Khidmat Sosial said it will continue to serve the community despite Putrajaya’s decision to stop funding it. – The Malaysian Insider pic, December 19, 2014.A picture of a homeless man having his dinner in Chow Kit. Non-profit group Pusat Bantuan Khidmat Sosial said it will continue to serve the community despite Putrajaya’s decision to stop funding it. – The Malaysian Insider pic, December 19, 2014.
Undaunted by Putrajaya’s decision to cut its funding, the non-profit Pusat Bantuan Khidmat Sosial (PBKS) is determined to continue serving the marginalised in the Chow Kit area, even if they have to move out of the centre located in the heart of Kuala Lumpur.
"I'm not giving up, I'm not going to give up until they say get out," said Mitch Yusmar Yusof, the centre's senior manager who is also acting executive director of Pertubuhan Pembangunan Kebajikan dan Persekitaran Positif (SEED), which provides help and assistance to the homeless as well as those living with HIV/ AIDS and the transgender community.
He told The Malaysian Insider on a recent visit there that he has sent an appeal letter to the Malaysian AIDS Council to be forwarded to  Women, Family and Community Development ministry, which reportedly made the decision to stop funding the centre.
The AIDS Council will also help them by appealing to the ministry to continue funding and keeping the centre open, he said.
"They have arranged a meeting with ministry to appeal on our behalf," he added.
Mitch said other NGOs were providing moral support as well as other forms of help, such as through soup kitchens and donations of clothing.
According to a recent news report, the ministry informed the Malaysian AIDS Council earlier this month of its decision to stop the RM700,000 in annual funding to PBKS starting next year.
Mitch said as a last resort they would turn to crowdfunding, as they could not leave the community in the lurch.
"The last avenue will be crowd sourcing, and to look for a smaller place to rent and continue what we have been doing for the past seven years.
"We cannot leave the community just like that; if we have to move out to a smaller lot, we are okay with that, as we are committed in what we are doing."
PBKS was opened in 2007 by the ministry, which pays the rental of the premises.
"PBKS started by the ministry, we just run this place," said Mitch.
He said they were informed by the AIDS Council that the ministry no longer considered PBKS was no a "core business" of the ministry's.
“My question is, as the Women, Family and Community Ministry, isn't community is its business?
"I still remember what (then minister) Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil had said, let the homeless people have a nice place to go to when they come here," he added.
The centre serves between 40 and 60 people daily, providing help and support in various ways, some as simple as taking a bath, washing clothes, and a meal.
"If we divide the RM700,000 by 365 days and divide again by an average of 40 people we serve daily, it works out to RM 47.95 per person...but it cannot be calculated like that as the wages of the staff, utility bills, hospital care, health, food and other basic necessities are included in the fund."
"Everyone who comes here seeking help does not have only one problem, they come with many problems."
Mitch said the centre also helped homeless people without official documents in registration matters so that they could apply for aid from government agencies.
"We also attend to those who die on the streets, and if the deceased cannot not be identified, we work with government agencies in making funeral arrangements."
Mitch said the centre has had to endure bureaucratic hassles in their dealings with government agencies, but added that it was something they were willing to face for the sake of the needy.
"If I say anything more, the community will not receive anything later.”
The centre is also used by the people in the area as a correspondence address, he added.
"This place is the address for many people, as we help them to get help from government agencies, they will need address, so this place is their address."
Other services provided by the centre include support programmes, such as counselling for HIV patients and outreach programmes, and as a drop-in centre.
Mitch said they also collaborated with various NGOs to help their clients develop some independence.
The centre's women's programme manager Sulastri Ariffin said that they were shocked to hear the news of the funding cut.
"It was shocking for us at first, as the community really needs this, they come here to get support as they are discriminated by society.
"Stopping this programme will affect the community in a big way."
Sulastri said their previous attempts to look for other sources of funding ended in rejections.
"It is very difficult for us to source for funds. When we write proposals to ask for help, some people react negatively when they find out about the community we serve, it’s a stigma.
"But we have managed to continue with the help of various sources."
Since it began operating seven years ago, 1,345 transgenders, 2,664 women and 5,793 people with HIV/AIDS have registered with PBKS.
"But there are still many whom we help who cannot be registered as they don’t have proper documentation or ID cards, "said Sulastri.
Mitch said the people who came to the centre, whom they referred to as clients, have not been told of the ministry’s decision or its implications.
"I haven't informed the clients.
"How do we tell them that they will not have a place anymore?"
- TMI

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