Lakhs of people in India experience homelessness, often living in conditions unfit for human habitation—on streets, under flyovers, or in makeshift shelters. In Delhi-NCR alone, approximately 46,724 homeless people were recorded in the 2011 census. However, civil rights organisations and campaigns, such as Shahri Adhikar Manch: Begharon ke Saath, argue that this figure grossly underrepresents the real number, which they estimate exceeds 3 lakh.
Homelessness is driven by a multitude of factors, including rural poverty, unemployment, caste discrimination, displacement due to land acquisition or natural disasters, and unplanned urbanisation. These intersecting factors not only push individuals into homelessness but also leave them particularly vulnerable to seasonal hardships. Inadequate shelter and poor living conditions exacerbate risks throughout the year.
During winter and rainy seasons, homeless individuals seek shelter to protect themselves from the cold and to avoid potentially fatal conditions like hypothermia. However, shelters often lack basic facilities such as clean water, blankets, adequate food, and sanitation, and the resources provided are of substandard quality. Moreover, communicable respiratory illnesses are common in colder months. These illnesses continue to impact immunity even during the summer months, when dehydration and heatstroke take a greater toll on a weakened body.
Mortality rates among homeless persons are high during this period. According to data tabulated by the National Forum for Homeless Housing Rights, 474 homeless individuals died in Delhi between November 15, 2024, and January 10, 2025. It was recorded that approximately eight homeless persons died every day in January 2024.
As Delhi-NCR grapples with increasingly severe cold waves every winter, the condition of its homeless population is a concerning yet neglected issue. At Centre for Holistic Development (CHD), we advocate for the rights and well-being of homeless persons across the region. However, while there is growing discourse on climate change and its impact on marginalised communities, we’ve observed that urban homeless populations are often overlooked.
The negative stereotyping of persons rendered homeless
The stigma surrounding homelessness compounds the challenges faced by homeless individuals during extreme weather. They are frequently subjected to negative stereotypes, making it difficult for them to access shelters and other services they are entitled to. They are also often segregated into ghettos, bastis, and shelters—temporary housing that is often the first to be displaced during urban development projects.
For many years, we have seen frequent development projects for the purposes of urban ‘beautification’. Spaces under flyovers are regularly being turned into parks and charging stations, leaving people who previously lived there vulnerable to the cold. Recently, in Jangpura, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) razed temporary tents and semi-pucca houses in an informal settlement, rendering many homeless.
This invisibilisation of the homeless in urban centres often results in their rights and needs being sidelined. Consequently, they are overlooked in the development of climate solutions and policies. Despite consistent data on the impact of global warming and climate change on homeless populations being published since 2014, our efforts to present these findings to authorities have elicited little response.
Existing provisions fall short
Delhi stands out as the only Indian city with a Winter Action Plan (WAP), partially designed to address homelessness during cold waves. This plan aims to ensure adequate shelter, food, clothing, and sanitation for the homeless, recognising that proper shelters are critical for survival in harsh winters. However, its implementation often falls short.
Shelters lack basic resources, with blankets purchased years ago now worn out, unclean, and ineffective for insulation. There are few clean drinking water and sanitation facilities, and regular monitoring of shelters is absent (despite being called for in the WAP). While porta cabins and temporary arrangements are made for the winter, these structures are not designed to withstand the harsh cold. In addition, they fail to address the long-term need for permanent and properly maintained shelters.
According to the WAP, the Delhi government will set up 250 new temporary shelters (in the form of pagoda tents and porta cabins) to support the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board’s (DUSIB) 197 shelter homes with a stated capacity of 7,092 persons. Even with the additional temporary shelters, the number and capacity still fall far short of providing shelter to the lakhs of homeless in Delhi. Besides, even the official numbers do not reflect the reality on the ground.
Permanent shelters often fail to meet capacity and quality standards. For instance, a shelter in Fatehpuri, Chandni Chowk, with an area of 8,126 square feet—short of the required 10,000 square feet—is supposed to house 450 individuals but can only accommodate 130 comfortably. Despite this, more than 600 people are crammed into the space, sleeping in unhygienic and overcrowded conditions.
Women’s shelters face similar issues. One such shelter we visited claimed to have space for 41 women but had sleeping arrangements for 20 at most. In reality, the available space allowed for no more than six women to sleep comfortably. These conditions reveal the severe inadequacies in shelter infrastructure and management.
Additionally, shelter homes are often repurposed during certain events. For instance, during elections, they are converted into voter centres. Homeless persons who use these centres are forced to vacate. We recently sent a letter to Delhi’s chief electoral officer, requesting that Shelter NS Code 176—specifically designated for homeless persons with disabilities—not be turned into voter centre. Not only is this in contravention with the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, but it is also a humanitarian concern, as persons with disabilities are more vulnerable to the cold due to physical and mental conditions.
There are several barriers to accessing social welfare policies
India’s Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM), through its Shelter for Urban Homeless (SUH) scheme, outlines requirements for providing shelter during various seasons. The scheme emphasises linking homeless individuals to mainstream government schemes, such as registration for PDS cards, BPL cards, pensions, admission of children to government schools, and financial inclusion through banks.
However, a significant barrier to accessing shelters and these schemes is the requirement for identification documents such as Aadhaar cards. Many homeless individuals lack these identity documents due to their transient lifestyles, the loss of IDs, or because they never had them in the first place. In 2025 alone, we have seen multiple cases of homeless individuals being denied entry to shelters because they did not have an Aadhaar card. This exclusionary practice not only limits access to shelters but also further marginalises the homeless, leaving them to endure harsh conditions without adequate support.
Lastly, due to gaps in data collection as well as the reporting of the true number of homeless people in Delhi-NCR, there is no accurate data available to help authorities plan and allocate resources for shelters and other welfare programmes.
What can we do as active citizens?
These systemic failures—ranging from poor implementation of policies to exclusionary practices—highlight the urgent need for inclusive, long-term solutions to address homelessness effectively, so that homeless individuals can survive extreme conditions of heat, rain, and cold with dignity.
1. Changing public perception and awareness
A fundamental shift in the public perception of homelessness is necessary—not only to reduce the stigma against homeless individuals and foster empathy among urban populations, but also to critically examine the facilities being provided to this population in extreme weather.
Civil society organisations (CSOs), volunteers, and concerned citizens play a critical role in bridging these gaps. They should actively monitor local shelters, assess their conditions, and raise awareness. Campaigns and initiatives, such as those by CHD and Aashray Adhikar Abhiyan, have been working to address systemic issues. Through extensive surveys and resource mobilisation, these organisations have brought attention to the inadequacies in shelter conditions and often stepped in to fill the gaps left by government systems.
Community engagement is equally vital. The collective action demonstrated by civil society during the COVID-19 pandemic, for instance, highlighted how mobilisation and collaboration can mitigate the impact of crises on vulnerable populations. These efforts serve as a powerful reminder of the importance of grassroots initiatives in driving systemic change and should be extended to issues concerning the homeless.
2. Strengthening accountability and monitoring
Since it is the state’s duty to provide homeless persons with proper protection and resources to survive, there is no need to create any new physical infrastructure, such as alternative shelter homes. Instead, we must hold the authorities accountable to the government machinery, laws, and schemes that already exist. The WAP is a good example of a government-approved plan with funds allocated to it. Our role as CSOs is to ensure that it is enforced.
The convergence of various departments is also essential for addressing homelessness effectively. The WAP requires efforts from different government agencies responsible for water supply, sanitation, food distribution, and health services. However, coordination between the departments and agencies—for instance, the DUSIB and the NULM—is often missing, leading to gaps in service delivery. Moreover, the absence of accountability and effective monitoring undermines any collaboration, even when it occurs.
Therefore, third-party audits, regular inspections, and social monitoring are critical to ensuring transparency and adherence to basic standards. Surveys conducted by CSOs or volunteer groups can identify gaps, such as inadequate facilities or shelter shortages, and alert authorities to act.
3. Advocating for improved implementation
In our experience, petitions and court interventions have resulted in positive directives to improve shelter conditions, but implementation remains a persistent challenge. Advocacy and public pressure are crucial in ensuring compliance with these directives and bridging the gap between policy and practice.
Additionally, sustained advocacy through media, social media, and public forums is essential to amplify the voices of marginalised communities and highlight systemic failures. Such efforts must aim to transform shelter management from a temporary fix to a long-term, sustainable solution, ensuring dignity and basic living conditions for the homeless.
The state of the urban homeless during harsh winters highlights systemic failures in policy implementation and societal priorities. In Delhi-NCR, despite policies such as the WAP, gaps in execution leave thousands without adequate shelter or basic resources, making their struggle for dignity more difficult amidst extreme conditions. While the government must strengthen its response, change is a collective responsibility, and each of us has a part to play. Civil society, nonprofits, and individuals must persistently question the authorities, offer direct support, raise awareness, and advocate for those marginalised by homelessness.
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