Housing and Land Rights Network: India Homelessness Resources

Housing and Land Rights Network (HLRN), based in New Delhi, India, works for the recognition, defence, promotion, and realization of the human rights to adequate housing and land, which involve gaining a safe and secure place for all individuals and communities, especially marginalized communities, to live in peace and dignity. HLRN is an independent organization and works on research, education, and advocacy related to housing and land rights. A particular focus of their work is on promoting and protecting the equal rights of women to adequate housing, land, property, and inheritance. This resource delves into their work in the homelessness dimension of housing and land rights, including:

  • advocacy at the state level,
  • insight into court action on the issue of homelessness in India,
  • research publications,
  • homelessness news and press releases,
  • and broad data collection based off a combinatio of sources, including the 2011 Census of India.

The 2011 census defined 'houseless household' as, 'households who do not live in buildings or census houses but live in the open on roadside, pavements, in hume pipes, under flyovers and staircases, or in the open in places of worship, mandaps, railway platforms, etc.' 

According to the Census of 2011, India has more than 1.7 million homeless residents, of which 938,384 are located in urban areas. These figures, however, grossly underestimate the real numbers of the homeless. Civil society organizations estimate that at least one per cent of the population of urban India is homeless. Based on this, it can be extrapolated that the population of the urban homeless is at least 3 million. In the capital city of Delhi alone, at any given point, civil society estimates place the number of homeless at around 150,000 - 200,000, of which at least 10,000 are women. India also has the highest number of street children in the world but there is no official data on their numbers or adequate schemes to respond to their special needs and concerns.

Estimated Number of Homeless People in Different Cities across India

  • Delhi: 150,000 - 200,000
  • Chennai: 40,000 - 50,000
  • Mumbai: 200,000 (including Navi Mumbai)
  • Indore: 10,000 - 12,000
  • Vishakhapatnam: 18,000
  • Bangalore: 40,000 - 50,000
  • Hyderabad: 60,000
  • Ahmedabad: 100,000
  • Patna: 25,000
  • Kolkata: 150,000
  • Lucknow: 19,000
Publication Date: 
2018
Publisher(s): 
Housing and Land Rights Network
Location: 
India