Chennai has over 40,000 homeless poor (pavement dwellers), scattered across the city in clusters. They have no identity (ration card/voters id), least access to healthcare, sanitation, education, shelter, nutritious diet etc.

They are often the most vulnerable and abused community in the city.

For the past couple of years,the Social Action Track of CTN (Chennai Transformation Network) has been raising awareness on the needs of the pavement dwellers and seeking to facilitate and empower local churches to work with the pavement dwellers in their neighbourhood. One of the communities targetted has been the pavement dwellers along the EVK Sampath Road in Vepery. CTN has facilitated a coalition of Christian NGOs and local churches to work together strategically in this area. Aruwe, World Vision, Cross Wire, Powerhouse Church, Oasis etc have been involved closely in this effort, each focussing on particular needs such as Child protection & rights, education, vocational training, healthcare, santiation etc.

To specifically meet the healthcare needs of the pavement dwellers, a Medical Insurance Scheme that offers cashless hospitalisation benefit upto Rs.25,000/- per family in Vepery is being launched today,ie Thursday, 24th of April at 7pm.

The beneficiaries (around 200 individuals from the community), and representatives of the scheme’s partners - CTN, Cross Wire, Powerhouse Church, Andhra Bank & United India Insurance Company will be present to launch the scheme and handover the Mediclaim identity cards to all those being covered by the scheme.

This is a model pioneering project and if successful could be implemented across all the pavement dwelling communities in Chennai.