TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The New Taipei City Government on Monday (July 10) urged venue providers to be accommodating toward homeless people this summer.
With temperatures reaching 38 degrees Celsius, it is becoming almost unbearable to spend time outside. As a result, increased numbers of homeless people can be seen taking shelter in MRT and railway stations across Taipei in an attempt to stay cool.
Following three consecutive days of temperatures reaching 36 C, the New Taipei City Government declared that venues should allow homeless people to take shelter from the heat. The city government also asked homeless people to keep venues clean so the arrangement can continue.
Every day at noon, a group of homeless people congregate underneath Banqiao MRT station, UDN reported. One 70-year-old man among them explained that they need somewhere to keep cool because outside temperatures are insufferable.
"We just want a tiny bit of (sheltered) space. We don’t want to be thrown out,” he said. By 10 p.m., there were crowds of homeless congregating at staircases and corners across MRT Banqiao station.
New Taipei City currently has more than four hundred homeless people in facilities and programs designed to support them. However, there are at least one hundred people still living on the street.
These people are taking shelter from the heat in many places, including parks, train stations, temples, and libraries. During the winter, some have even been seeking refuge in the sports stadium's underground parking lots.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare released a statement on July 5 advising the local governments to take measures to prevent vulnerable groups, including the homeless and elderly, from heat stroke if temperatures reach above 38 C, or if it has been 36 C for three consecutive days, said Hsu Hsiu-neng (許秀能), deputy chief of the Social Affairs Bureau.
"When temperatures are this high, we must endeavor to look after vulnerable groups, including elderly people living alone and homeless people with nowhere to turn," Hsu said.
