Houses give dignity to the homeless<\/p>\n
By Gin Kurniawan<\/p>\n
LAMONGAN, East Java (JP): They were treated like garbage.
\nPulled from city streets in lightning raids, they were dumped in
\nthe jungle -- and thrown in jail when they returned.<\/p>\n
Today, in happier circumstances, many of the homeless of the
\narea are residents of the Trisno Mulyo housing project in
\nSidoharjo village of Lamongan Kota district, Lamongan regency,
\nEast Java.<\/p>\n
Bitterness characterized their lives when they were homeless.
\nRaids by security and order officers were their nightmare. They
\noccurred frequently, including before the celebration of
\nIndependence Day every Aug. 17 or in the hurried cleanups for the
\nnational \"cleanest city\" contest.<\/p>\n
People caught in the operations were transported to the jungle
\nor remote areas. Returning to the city and getting caught a
\nsecond time meant time in jail.<\/p>\n
But the homeless people always came back. Their number soared
\nalong with the development of industrial estates in Gerbang
\nKertasusila (Gresik, Bangkalan, Mojokerto, Surabaya and
\nLamongan).<\/p>\n
After an arduous struggle to convince them, they were finally
\nwilling to leave the streets and take up residence at Tresno
\nMulyo (Glorious Love). The project started in 1976, but it took
\n10 years before they were willing to move into their homes,
\nthanks to the continuous efforts of Imanan, a former employee of
\nthe local social affairs office and Amirul Mukminin, an activist
\nof the non-governmental organization Pondok At-Taubat.<\/p>\n
\"We owe them a lot. Because of them, we now feel that we are
\nhuman beings,\" said Karnasan, a resident.<\/p>\n
Hints of their past remain. Many formerly suffered from skin
\ndiseases. Some of the men bear tattoos, visible legacies from
\ntheir time on the street. The trauma is not visible, but it is no
\nsecret that some of the residents were criminals, involved in
\ntheft and murder.<\/p>\n
\"We were bad people, but Insya Allah (God willing) we have
\nrepented,\" said Markasan, 55, the neighborhood chief.<\/p>\n
When living from hand to mouth was their norm, they could not
\nhave imagined that one day they would live like regular citizens
\nand own their own homes, Markasan said. They slept on the
\nsidewalk, camped out in front of shops, in shantytowns, under
\nbridges and in prison cells. They scraped out a living however
\nthey could -- depending on guts and \"skills\" -- as scavengers,
\nthieves, street entertainers, pickpockets and prostitutes.<\/p>\n
\"In the past, we felt that we were not human beings, or at
\nleast, we felt isolated,\" said Suhadi, Markasan's neighbor.<\/p>\n
All that belongs to the past. Although some remain scavengers
\nand street musicians, others are becak drivers, water vendors or
\nrun food stalls. They have left their lives as criminals and
\nprostitutes behind them. Couples who once lived together have
\nmarried in mass wedding ceremonies.<\/p>\n
\"There are still some who are beggars, but you can count their
\nnumber on your fingers,\" Markasan, a water vendor, said.<\/p>\n
Tresno Mulyo was the brainchild of Imanan, who is dubbed the
\nIndonesian Mother Theresa by residents.<\/p>\n
A humanitarian approach is the key to success in getting the
\nhomeless off the streets. Imanan and Amirul mixed with the
\nhomeless people and ate the same food, which was made in old
\ncorrugated iron pans washed with dingy water from the gutter<\/p>\n
\"If we were not mentally strong, we might have given up. But
\nwe could not give up. We did our best to make them live like
\nnormal people,\" said Imanan, who has just recovered from a
\nstroke.<\/p>\n
Imanan said the idea to empower the homeless came to him when
\nhe was employed at the local social affairs office. He was moved
\nby their terrible treatment by the security and order officers
\nduring the raids. Imanan knew that a repressive approach would
\nnot work and he suddenly thought he should \"house\" them. His
\ncolleagues dismissed it as a foolish goal which could never be
\nrealized.<\/p>\n
As a civil servant, Imanan was no stranger to the homeless in
\ntown, but the familiarity created problems because the people
\nwere suspicious of his motives. They often fled when they saw
\nhim.<\/p>\n
It was Kartini, a former prostitute, who welcomed his idea and
\ngave him support. Kartini knew Imanan well because he helped her
\nleave prostitution. She agreed to sell her land in Sidoharjo
\nvillage for the project. Her move was followed by several other
\nresidents. The people paid in installments of at least Rp 100 a
\nday. Collection of the payments was coordinated by Pondok At-
\nTaubat.<\/p>\n
\"With that money, each of them was able to get a piece of land
\nmeasuring 4 meters x 15 meters. At that time in 1986, the plot of
\nland cost only Rp 90,000,\" Imanan said.<\/p>\n
Today, 91 families comprising 361 members live on Tresno
\nMulyo, which covers 7,500 square meters. It appears no different
\nfrom other low-cost housing complexes -- it also boasts a
\nneighborhood chief, a youth organization, a family welfare
\norganization and a house of worship.<\/p>\n
The major difference from other housing complexes is the
\nhaphazard design of the houses. There is no uniformity as the
\nhouses were built by the owners in accordance with their
\nfinancial capabilities.<\/p>\n
Also unique is the fact that most of the residents can play
\nmusical instruments, which is more understandable when one
\nremembers that many of them were street musicians and some still
\nearn their living through music.<\/p>\n
Thirteen years after the homeless first moved to the complex,
\nthe efforts to guide them in their lives away from the streets
\ncontinue. Activists from Pondok At-Taubat, led by Amirul,
\nregularly hold Koran recital classes and give spiritual lessons.<\/p>",
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