Over the past decade, the problem of homelessness has increased. The number of homeless people has been increasing dramatically in the last few years, and the composition of the homeless community has also changed significantly during that period. In Malaysia, they are marginalized communities that are excluded by the society or excluded by themselves due to various factors. They also lack various resources and abilities to meet living needs. The challenges of homeless life turned out to be worse when the country faced the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in the capital city of Kuala Lumpur. Three challenges were discussed in this chapter: loss of livelihood, obtaining food, compliance to SOPs and health levels. Effective interventions should take into account these challenges and the constraints of existing life to ensure their survival and well-being as well as reduce the population of homeless people in the country.
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The Malaysian government has imposed a Movement Control Order (MCO1) on all residents in the country starting March 18, 2020. The implementation of MCO1 has resulted in most employment and business activities (except those involved with essential services only) not being allowed to operate at all. This situation causes those who work and earn an income on a daily basis to lose their livelihood. Among them are laborers in the market, parking attendants, general assistants in shops and supermarkets, restaurant workers and workers in certain parts of the hotel. There are also small traders who also cannot find sources of income, such as stall traders, bazaar traders, night market traders and collectors of scrap items such as cans, paper and boxes. Living in poverty and losing their source of income as a result of MCO1 make their lives more stressful. The implementation of MCO2 and MCO3 once again affected many people.
Some of the groups mentioned above are the tertiary homeless community. The Statistics Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, United Nations (UN) (2015) classifies homelessness into three, namely primary homelessness, secondary homelessness and tertiary homelessness. The classification is similar to the classification made by Mackenzie and Chamberlain (1992) and the Commonwealth Advisory Committee on Homelessness in 2001. Primary homelessness refers to “... people without conventional accommodation (eg sleeping rough or in improvised dwellings), while secondary homelessness refers to ... people who frequently move from one temporary shelter to another (eg, emergency accommodation, youth refugees).
In Malaysia, there is no comprehensive or truly accurate statistics on the number of homeless, let alone to know the number of tertiary class homeless. This may due to Malaysia does not yet have an official definition of homelessness. The number of homeless people is usually related to the definition of homelessness of a country, as stated by Speak and Tipple (2007). In the absence of an official definition of homelessness, then official statistics are also difficult to determine. Many previous writings on homelessness use statistics released by the Department of Social Welfare. The number of homeless people in year 2009 for example was 1,934 people decreased to 1,048 people in 2013 and increased again to 2278 in 2016 (Department of Social Welfare, 2017). However, the statistics were obtained by JKM as a result of the arrest of homeless people under the vagrants Act where they are more labeled as beggars or stray lice. What about homeless people who aren’t caught? Are they also counted in the number of homeless people in the country? Researchers believe that the actual number of homeless people is much higher than the official data available.
The number of homeless people may vary in a short period of time based on the situation they experience. If they get a good job, return to their families, are arrested by the police or put in a rehabilitation center, then they are no longer homeless people. However, when a person is suddenly fired, removed from the family or released from prison or a rehabilitation center with no shelter, this group will become homeless people. In other words, the actual number of homeless people is very difficult to determine given the high number of ins and outs.
The three types of homelessness mentioned in the previous paragraph are also difficult to distinguish precisely. However, for the context of this discussion, tertiary homelessness refers to individuals/families living in rented rooms that share kitchens and toilets with occupants from other rooms whose residential areas have low security aspects. In the capital of Kuala Lumpur, the number reaches hundreds of families but no official statistics can be consulted. Sociodemographic information on the families living there also could not be confirmed because no further studies have been done on this group.
The main thing that is observed as a result of MCO especially MCO1 is that they are not able to meet the most basic needs; that is, food. This condition can affect their health and malnutrition in children. Throughout the MCO period, this community relied on the generosity of the community through non-governmental organizations and individuals who channeled food aid to them. The situation is becoming more critical among families with young children who still need formula milk and disposable diapers. The small space for a family to live in (average 5-6 people) for 24 hours a day can provoke quarrels while family members and the voices of small children can be deafening for other family members who are resting. Limited food supply can also lead to fights among young children who do not yet know the meaning of hardship.