The number of homeless people in Bangkok looks set to rise this year.
Recent news reports claimed there are currently 1,307 homeless people in the city which, according to the latest 2010 census data, identified more than 8.2 million people who call the city home.
However a survey conducted by homeless charity the Issarachon Foundation predicted that by the end of 2015 there will be 3,360 homeless people in Bangkok – three times the ‘official’ numbers.
Dr. Sopkon Pornchokchak, President of the Agency for Real Estate Affairs and also Chairman of the Issarachon Foundation that has been helping homeless people in Bangkok since 2001, said that latest survey in 2015 of 3,360 people came from the survey has estimated a 3.4 percent in the number of homeless people. The number of 3,360 homeless is estimated however the actual survey will be conducted in end 2015. In 2012 the figure in 2012 was 2,856, and this he said implies a steady increase in the population.
Of the total 3,249 people found to be homeless in 2014, 2,003 were men whereas 1,246 were female.
Phra Khanong District (pictured) had the dubious title of being home to the largest number of homeless people with a total of 559, or 17 percent of the total. Bang Sue District was second with 283 homeless people (9 percent of the total) and Chatuchak was third with 230 homeless (7 percent).
Dr. Sophon noted that most of Bangkok’s homeless were individuals however some were families. There were some homeless from neighbouring countries.
Beggars from the neighbouring countries were not considered to be homeless as they were considered organised criminals who performed as professional beggars. Some 28 homeless Westerners were also found in Bangkok.
The number of homeless people in Bangkok was not high compared with large cities in Western countries. According to Dr. Sophon many need help from asylums instead of a house.
He said that it could be observed that the budget from the Ministry of Social Security Developments was only THB 10 billion per year, which he said is not enough to help the poor, and particularly the homeless.
To help homeless people in Bangkok visit http://issarachon.org/en/
