The urban homeless are all around us, but we often fail to acknowledge their presence in our rapidly expanding cities. Their lives tell tales of inequality, vulnerability and exclusion.
A homeless woman rests at a bus terminal in Bengaluru
Bengaluru, too, is familiar with urban homelessness. The issue has been around for decades, with municipal bodies and not-for-profits working to provide shelter and care to the thousands who live on the streets. Like other cities, the homeless in Bengaluru continue to strive for smooth access to accommodation, food and healthcare.
Research from 2024 estimated that around 10,000 people live without shelter in Bengaluru, nearly 80 percent of them men, with 85 percent concentrated in 50 hotspots across the city’s centre. Many of them work in informal sectors such as waste picking, head loading, catering, and begging — occupations with no security or stability.
Addiction and homelessness: An age-old cycle
It’s 6:30 AM and the usually bustling police station at a central square in Bengaluru is surprisingly calm. A stone’s throw away; several people occupy the benches of a nearby park. A handful of other people are scattered across footpaths and in front of shops. Here, we meet the citizens of Bengaluru with no home to call their own.
Fifty-six-year-old Nana Bhai from Kolagaon (Jalgaon district, Maharashtra) left home a few years ago after falling out with his wife. “She would quarrel with me every day because of my alcohol addiction.” In a city like Bengaluru, finding a home is harder than finding work. Nana Bhai works as labour to earn INR 600 a day, but he spends most of that money on liquor.
Nana Bhai works as a daily wage earner
Nana Bhai has no communication with his family. And like many of his homeless companions, his sole possession is the backpack that shelters his most valuable everyday items.
Akbar’s story: Finding purpose and himself
Few stories capture the 180-degree transformation made possible through sustained care as powerfully as that of 47-year-old Akbar Ali Khan. For years, Akbar slept on pavements. He had studied only till Grade III, and lacking viable work options, often slipped into petty theft — “choices I remember with sorrow,” he says, “but not with shame. I lost many years, but they won’t be the end of my story.”
A brief period of stability arrived through the affection of his mother-in-law, who treated him with the dignity he had rarely experienced. He married, built a small home in Jayanagar, and started afresh. But things didn’t go as planned and Akbar became homeless once again.
His real transformation began when he arrived at Medical Care and Recovery Centre (MCRC). The care he received awakened something long dormant. He started helping with small tasks — folding sheets, carrying water, sitting with distressed patients. What appeared to be simple chores were, for Akbar, steps toward reclaiming his self-worth.
Today, Akbar is the night in-charge at MCRC, earning INR 16,000 a month and saving INR 11,000 with disciplined commitment. He dreams of owning a home again, but more than that, he wants to ensure others in distress feel noticed and acknowledged. Each night on duty is his way of making peace with the years he lost.
A routine blood pressure check for migrant workers at a street-side health camp
Jhulan’s road back to her family
On 21 May 2025, the Railway Police at Kempegowda Bus Station (Majestic) noticed a woman sitting alone on the platform, singing songs and muttering to herself. She was terrified when approached and refused help. With patience and gentle conversation, the social worker managed to earn her trust.
The homeless woman was Jhulan. Abandoned by her first husband for not conceiving and later pushed into another marriage, she fled home in desperation. Wandering for months, she eventually reached Bengaluru.
At the Emergency Care and Recovery Centre (ECRC), she received immediate care. The next day, Kolkata Police informed the team that Jhulan’s family had filed a missing-person report months earlier. A video call reunited the woman in distress with her parents and sister. On 9 June, after a week of stabilisation at ECRC, the team ensured Jhulan’s safe return to Bankura, West Bengal. The moment her family embraced her after months of fear and uncertainty was profoundly moving.
A system that cares – Namma Kutumba
For people like Nana Bhai, Akbar and Jhulan, Namma Kutumba (Our Family) is often the first real source of comfort and help. The Namma Kutumba project was launched in 2022 to bring dignity, safety, and comprehensive care to the city’s homeless, is a ray of hope.
The project is a joint initiative of three NGO partners — The Project Smile Trust, Aaladamara Foundation, and Daya Rehabilitation Trust (Thanal). The programme seeks to identify and support vulnerable individuals through street surveys, medical camps, day and night shelters, and a dedicated helpline.
Namma Kutumba helps the homeless build their lives through touchpoint support at each stage, from rescue operations, healthcare, documentation support, counselling, rehabilitation, and family reunification.
A routine blood pressure check for migrant workers at a street-side health camp
Inspector Savitha from the Basavanagudi Police Station in Bengaluru said, “I do not like leaving people on the street. From my police station, I want to do my best to bring support and dignity for the homeless. The Namma Kutumba team has been extremely helpful. Even if I call them at 11 PM, they respond immediately to our request — from rescue to rehabilitation with family.”
Despite the transient nature of homelessness, Namma Kutumba has built continuity. Through its street outreach alone, the team has connected with more than 450 people, approaching each case with sensitivity, patience, and respect. With every rescue, the project shows how a city should respond to its homeless with compassion and care.