Document Type
Article
Publication Date
12-30-2025
Abstract
This paper, the first in a two-part study on homelessness in developing countries, explores the causes of homelessness in countries with significant populations living in poverty. This instalment focuses primarily on homelessness in India. The country’s diversity in terms of culture and religion is reflected in challenges when approaching issues related to homelessness. We highlight governmental initiatives to combat homelessness and provide impoverished people and families with access to essential services. A qualitative research method was used. We interviewed the recipients of government services aimed at helping their families overcome homelessness. Our findings highlight the role of education and educational programs in breaking the cycle of poverty. We also compare the approaches to homelessness in the United States and India, the programs, and the challenges to assist individuals and families. The research also finds that people who migrate from one place to another to find employment are economically vulnerable and build makeshift shelters wherever they find a place. We explain how this process gradually leads to the formation of slums − condensed, crowded places where residents lack basic amenities and resources. We also examine how local organizations help people by providing services such as food distribution during festivals and clothing from NGOs. We conclude that providing long-term services and benefits to individuals and families is helpful in eliminating poverty. Furthermore, resource acquisition and collaboration between organizations and government bodies are essential for addressing systemic barriers to reduce homelessness.
Keywords
migration, poverty, social work, diversity, slums
Language
English
Publication Title
Military Physician
Rights
© 2026 Military Institute of Medicine – National Research Institute. This is an open access work distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-ShareALike (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/) which permits non-commercial reuse, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and any derivative works are distributed under the same license as the original.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Lanjewar, P. & Romaniuk, J. R. (2025). An international approach to homelessness. Part I: The case of India. Military Physician, 103(4), 283–291. https://doi.org/10.53301/lw/204971
Manuscript Version
Final Publisher Version