Yeoh calls for review of homeless outreach operations

The federal territories minister says the focus should be on improving the system for assisting the homeless, rather than repeating the same operations.

Federal territories minister Hannah Yeoh (in green) joined the social welfare department, Kuala Lumpur City Hall, and other agencies in the third KL Strike Force operation for this year on Tuesday and witnessed the challenges on the ground firsthand. (Facebook pic)

PETALING JAYA:

The government will review data from the past two to three years of homeless outreach operations to identify gaps in assistance and prevent those rescued from returning to the streets.

Federal territories minister Hannah Yeoh said she joined the social welfare department, Kuala Lumpur City Hall, and other agencies in the third KL Strike Force operation for this year on Tuesday and witnessed the challenges on the ground for herself.

“After screening, they were referred to the relevant agencies. However, without adequate facilities and follow-up assistance, the same problems could recur.

“That is why I want data from operations over the past two to three years to be reviewed. We will also seek input from the NGOs working on the ground before presenting our findings to the Cabinet,” she said in a Facebook post.

Yeoh said screening facilities were limited, some individuals had no identification documents, while others required mental health treatment.

There were also elderly people and children in need of protection.

She said the focus should be on improving the system to prevent the homeless from returning to the streets, rather than repeatedly carrying out the same operations.

“How long are we going to keep carrying out the same homeless outreach operations if they ultimately return to the streets?” she said.

The KL Strike Force is a special multi-agency task force established in 2024, aimed at taking rapid, integrated, and continuous enforcement action against public safety and order issues, including homelessness, illegal street vendors, undocumented migrants, and drug abuse. - FMT