Kerala offers free flats to homeless people

The Indian state of Kerala is offering free flats to homeless people, an ambitious model that activists say other states must follow as a nationwide “Housing for All” plan falls short.

The first 145 families moved into their newly constructed flats in a 270-unit complex in Adimali town in southern India this month, a state official said.

The state has surveyed its homeless population, and will build more than 400,000 homes for those who qualify, said U.V. Jose, chief executive of the LIFE Mission, a government agency overseeing the project.

“Those without a home are the poorest, most vulnerable. Many cannot afford to buy a home, no matter how cheap it is,” Jose told the Thomson Reuters Foundation yesterday.

“A home is a basic necessity. With a home, they can feel more secure and confident, and they can focus on other matters, which can improve the quality of their life,” he said.