Chennai Homeless Program
For Elders Who Have Nowhere Else to Go
Not every elder has a home to grow old in. Across Chennai, senior citizens who have been abandoned, who have lost family, or who simply have no means of support end up in shelter homes often without adequate healthcare, nutrition, or a way back to family life.
The Need
- Elderly residents of shelter homes frequently go without adequate nutrition, medical attention, or mental stimulation
- Many have lost their identities and access to identification, pensions, health insurance, or other entitlements they’re legally owed
- Family estrangement is common and without intervention, reconciliation rarely happens on its own.
- Elders residing
Our Intervention
In collaboration with the Greater Chennai Corporation and partner NGOs, we are bridging gaps in healthcare, nutrition, and social support for elderly residents of shelter homes through:
- Nutrition Support: specialised diets to strengthen immunity and overall health
- Specialised Geriatric Healthcare Services: monthly doctor visits and quarterly health camps covering eye and dental care, hypertension, diabetes, and dementia, with preventive screening and follow up
- Activity & Cognitive Stimulation: counselling, cognitive exercises, skill training, yoga and meditation led by dedicated activity coordinators
- Social Entitlement & Legal Aid: helping residents access bank accounts, health insurance, pensions and other benefits, with legal aid via national helplines and tribunals where needed
- Family Reintegration: counselling to foster reconciliation, followed by a six month support programme to ensure safety and stability after reintegration
- Referral Services: for residents who cannot reunite with family, we partner with long term institutional care providers for safe, ongoing referrals
- Disaster management support during the monsoon for homeless elders living on pavements, including bedsheets, tarpaulins, and food supplies.
Who We Work With
This programme currently operates in Chennai, in partnership with the Greater Chennai Corporation and allied NGOs supporting shelter homes across the city. Centre Locations: Perambur, Periyamet, and Royapettah.
Change stories
A Journey Back Home
Sometimes, finding home begins with finding a name. Ms. Annal, a Sri Lankan Tamil elder living with mild dementia, had lost connection with her family and place of origin. What followed was a journey of patient tracing, persistent outreach and compassionate support by our Chennai Homeless Elderly Programme team. After carefully establishing her identity and tracing her roots, the team was able to reconnect Ms. Annal with her family. From uncertainty to belonging. From isolation to reunion. Her story is a powerful reminder that reintegration is more than bringing a family together. It is about restoring connection, dignity and the feeling of being home again.
Because every elder deserves a way back home.
Be a Part of the Change
Every elder deserves more than a roof, they deserve care, dignity, and the chance to reconnect with family wherever possible. Your support helps us reach elders who have nowhere else to turn.