Scavenging Fate in Front of Shops

KOMPAS/ERIKA KURNIA

Firmansyah (50), the porters resting in front of a shop on the side of Jalan Hayam Wuruk, Taman Sari, West Jakarta, Monday (25/1/2021). Since moving to Jakarta from Surabaya a year ago, he has been living vagabondly in the area.

Night descended on Jl. Hayam Wuruk, Jakarta. Imang, 50, laid out cardboard that would serve as his mattress. He did not forget the thin sarong, cap and buff to cover his face as they have become his weapons against the cold night in the rainy season.

The man, whose real name is Firmansyah, instantly got a "bed room" in front of one of the shop houses in the area. Not far from there, there was a drawer that he shared with other homeless people to store clothes. For bathing, washing and toilet purposes, he used public toilets.

For some people, Imang\'s life is far from comfortable. However, matters of convenience are not on Imang\'s list. When fortune comes his way, Imang chooses not to rent space at a rooming house.

I\'ve only heard about the social house. If I were offered [to live there], I wouldn\'t take it.

"If I have more money, I choose to spend it to start a business. [It can be] only a small businesses, selling masks or toys. For a place to live, I can make adjustments,” Imang said in the Pinangsia area, Taman Sari district, West Jakarta, on Monday (25/1/2021).

Imang has been familiar with this kind of Jakarta life in the past year. Imang, who works as a laborer at a market, conceded that he did not want to live under strict rules, especially at a social house, which is a place for the rehabilitation of people with social welfare issues.

Also read: Street Children Are Citizens Too

"I\'ve only heard about the social house. If I were offered [to live there], I wouldn\'t take it. Even though we get a place to live and have training, [my] life would be under strict rules,” said Imang, who said he was from Surabaya, East Java.

He conceded that his job did not provide him enough money, especially as business activities have been limited during the COVID-19 pandemic. Working from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., Imang’s earning fluctuated. That day, for example, he pocketed Rp 40,000 (US$2.85). However, if he was lucky, he could earn Rp 100,000.

Also, he did not get any money during the imposition of large-scale social restrictions. He did not eat for several days. In the end, assistance was obtained from strangers in the form of packaged rice or money. However, such good fortune cannot be expected every day.

Kompas

A mother and young man at a storefront in Medan, North Sumatra, Thursday (28/1/2021). The homelessness problem in Medan City does not always reappear even though coaching has been done.

Bear the pain

On Thursday afternoon (28/1), Nur Asni Aritonang, 55, lay in front of a shop on Jl. Mataram, Medan, North Sumatra. He looked gloomy and weak.

"I haven\'t eaten since this morning. I am too weak to go out scavenging for [plastic] bottles because of headaches," he said.

Nur took out a few celery leaves from a plastic bag and chewed them. He had asked for celery leaves from a kiosk because his headaches usually got better after chewing celery leaves.

I haven\'t eaten since this morning. I am too weak to go out scavenging for [plastic] bottles because of headaches.

There was no money left in his pockets to buy medicine, let alone to visit the doctor. Nur never had access to free health services at the community health center (Puskesmas) or hospital. One of the reasons is because Nur does not have an identity card (KTP).

Illnesses are difficult to avoid for those who live on the streets. When he is healthy, Nur scavenges or hopes for people\'s mercy. He usually walks all day in a number of markets and shops in Medan. When night falls, the walkways in front of the shops along Jl. Iskandar Muda becomes a place to rest.

Also read: Street Children Remain Neglected

The COVID-19 pandemic has not left the homeless unaffected. Simon alias Penang, 45, a homeless man in Medan, said he was worried about contracting the novel coronavirus. He has no other choice because his life relies on the streets. He could only protect himself with his scuba mask.

Kompas/Priyombodo

Street singers and beggars at an intersection of Jalan Merdeka, Tangerang City, Banten, Sunday (31/1/2021). Lack of skills, limited capital, and no access to work have made this group live on the streets.

Penang\'s daily life is supported by plastic bottles that he collects from morning to night. At most, he collects 4 kilograms of plastic bottles in a big sack. With a selling price of Rp 2,000 per kg, a day he gets around Rp 8,000. He spends the money to buy rice and soup at the shop twice a day. If he is lucky, someone will give him packaged rice or money.

The nights are not easy for Penang. His enemies are not just the cold or the mosquitoes that bother him all night.

"What\'s heavier is fighting [against] thugs or fellow homeless people. I also have to watch out for [public order] officers,” he said.

I’ve fainted several times because I couldn\'t bear the pain.

Sometimes, he has to give people Rp 2,000 to not disturb him, even though it is the last money he has.

Siti Aminah, 55, is also homeless in Surabaya. The woman, who claims to be from Arsikaton, Pakis district, Malang, has been living at a mosque in the Kalisari area.

Also read: Expanding Elderly Population a National Asset

"I went to Surabaya with the intention of looking for work, but no one wanted to hire me. Because of that, I live in a mosque,” she said.

Living on the streets, without a clear place to live, even without having an ID card, feels very bad, she said.

"If you [want to] just eat and sleep, it is not difficult, but people immediately kick me out when I am sick. I’ve fainted several times because I couldn\'t bear the pain,” she said.

KOMPAS/AGNES BENEDIKTA SWETTA BR PANDIA

Homeless barracks, beggars, street children and elderly people prepare lunch at Liponsos Keputih Surabaya, Friday (22/1/2021).

Helpless, Siti was taken by officers and sent to social house Liponsos Keputih in Surabaya. As of the end of January, she was still there.

"While here [at Liponsos] and taking medication, I also participated in sewing training for my future, when I’ve recovered," said Siti, who once worked in the garment business.

Siti expressed the hope of returning to her home in Pakis, Malang, and starting a new chapter of her life. The expectations were not always the same as those of other homeless.

Social Affairs Minister Tri Rismaharini confirmed on Sunday (31/1) that the government needed to change its method of handling homeless people so that they do not return to the streets. One of the things she designed was to expand the functions of 41 social houses under the coordination of the Social Affairs Ministry.

Inhabitants will receive training to help increase their income; for example, making cafe chairs, raising catfish and hydroponic farming.

"Helping homeless people is no longer a [short-term] project, but they must really be lifted [out of poverty] until they are no longer homeless," Risma said in Surabaya.

This article was translated by Kurniawan H. Siswoko.