IN all countries of the western world, especially in the cities, there are always a number of homeless people, but the causes differ from country to country and from era to era.
In Guyana, the first appearance of the homeless came after Emancipation of the plantation slaves.  Many of the freedmen were too weak or sick to continue working, and some found themselves in Georgetown and New Amsterdam. However, the vast majority of such homeless people remained in the villages where the villagers, though they were poor, extended help to them.  With the effluxion of time, these, as a group, died off.

The slaves were replaced by indentured labourers, with small numbers coming from Madeira and China, but with the vast and overwhelming majority coming from India.  These labourers were contracted to work for five years with a return passage, which was very often not honoured, but they were offered a renewal of their contracts for another five years, which they were forced to take since there were no alternatives.  At the end of their indentureship, when their health had deteriorated and they could not work, had no money or relatives and could not face the harassment of a three-month sea voyage to India,  a number of these Indian workers who had become useless on the plantations drifted to Georgetown and New Amsterdam where they formed a homeless group trying to eke out a living as “jobbers,” fetching goods for shops or individuals.

At this time and up to the 1960s there were few cars, and transporting of goods was done by animal-drawn carts or by “jobbers.”  These homeless people slept on the pavements of downtown Georgetown, America Street and around the General Post Office, which are popular locations.  For decades before and after the ending of Indenture in 1917, the stereotype of homeless persons were these weak and decrepit Indian ex-sugar estate workers. The emphatic term “homeless persons” is of comparatively recent usage, and these persons were contemptuously termed “villains” or “jobbers.”

The colonial state was aware of the problems of aged and decrepit homeless persons and the Alms House, later known as the Palms, was provided in the last quarter of the 19th century.  The Catholic Church also provided some accommodation and there were a few other such “homes,” such as Uncle Eddy’s, largely financed by the Freemasons.  These various homes catered for the aged, the decrepit, and those who may have lost a limb, all of whom are from middle and lower-middle-class backgrounds.   The lower-class ”jobbers” and other homeless Indian sugar estate workers were never considered for admission to these “homes.”

The first time any effort was made to help the lowest class of people of every race and religion who were always hungry and without shelter was made by Pandit Ramsaroop Maraj.  Pandit Ramsaroop was born in Wakenaam and, from his earliest years, empathised with human pain and suffering and used his small resources to help the poor.  He conceived the idea of building a home for the poor, and since he had no personal wealth and no wealthy donors and even the state was not willing to make any contributions to his philanthropic dream, he became a wandering mendicant collecting tiny donations as he walked over the country.  He was mocked and insulted, and on one recorded occasion, when he was pelted with small stones, he picked them up and thanked his tormentors, telling them he would use these stones to help build a home for the poor.

In time — just over a 100 years ago — the Dharmshala was opened with the Governor and the other dignitaries paying homage to Pandit Ramsaroop’s self-sacrifice and vision. At present, the home is being administered by Pandit Ramsaroop’s surviving daughters, and the premises are kept spotlessly clean. The inmates have three meals per day and regular medical checkups.  Primarily as a therapy, some able-bodied inmates are permitted to work.

Despite the existence of these homes’ charitable donations and the widespread personal help given to individuals, there are still hundreds who sleep rough on the pavements of downtown Georgetown.  The state has been establishing shelters to offer temporary relief to the homeless.  These shelters need to evolve into permanent homes equipped with modern facilities and staffed by professionals.  In this era, the reasons why persons become homeless are different from the past when abject poverty was the main reason.

Today, it could be the inability to meet rental obligations for their homes or losing one’s job and being left penniless, or it could be the result of spousal or other domestic discord, or it could be teenagers and even smaller children being so unhappy at home that they are driven to leave their homes, or there is Alzheimer Disease whereby the victim loses his memory, and there are a plethora of other reasons.  These modern shelters, several of which would be established in Georgetown, New Amsterdam and elsewhere, must be prepared and equipped to play a rehabilitatory role.

In certain “local government jurisdictions” in North America, homeless persons are regarded as nuisances defiling the city’s landscape and should be removed to remote areas and homeless persons are criminalised.  In Guyana, homeless persons should always be treated humanely, should never be ignored and should be helped to return to being useful members of society.