JOHOR is drawing up a roadmap to achieve zero homelessness in the state, with the proposal to be presented to Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi for approval.
State women, family and community development committee chairman Hasrunizah Hassan said the number of homeless people in Johor fluctuated from time to time but had shown an overall decline.
She added that the state government was currently focusing its zero-homelessness efforts on Johor Baru before expanding it to other areas.
“The working paper and direction for the zero-homelessness target are being prepared before they are presented to the mentri besar for approval and subsequent implementation.”
The Pulai Sebatang assemblyman said the state government was continuing efforts to address homelessness in the city centre through its Johor Baru City Zero-Homelessness Operation.
Hasrunizah said the operation beginning early this month was being conducted periodically, via monitoring in the morning and at night at several hotspots around the city centre.
“The monitoring is carried out through an integrated approach involving several government agencies.
“These included Social Welfare Department, Johor Baru City Council, police, Immigration Department, National Anti-Drug Agency and National Registration Department.”
Hasrunizah said the involvement of multiple agencies was to ensure that the issue could be addressed from various aspects.
The operation also enables the relevant agencies to identify homeless individuals and determine the appropriate form of assistance based on their circumstances.
“This can include welfare intervention and assistance by the relevant agencies, depending on the needs identified during the operations.”
Hasrunizah said the state government would continue monitoring the situation, adding that the current focus on Johor Baru was part of a phased approach towards achieving the state’s zero-homelessness target.
Further details on the roadmap and implementation of the initiative would be announced once the proposal was approved by the mentri besar, she said.
