HALF WAY HOME FOR MENTALLY ILL
The Department of Differentially Abled Welfare and the Institute of Mental Health in Tamil Nadu have set up Half Way Homes in NGOs across the state. More than 700 members have been cured of their mental illness and are being re-integrated into the community.
In the first phase, the Government of Tamil Nadu has started with the following districts: Madurai, Ramanathapuram, Trichy, Kanyakumari, and Tiruppattur. The Government of Tamil Nadu has issued an order to start a Half Way Home scheme in Tirupattur district through voluntary charities. SRDPS has been approved by the Government of Tamil Nadu on 16.8.2021 to run the scheme in Tirupattur district. Accordingly, SRDPS has been in operation since last October. A total of 11 cured mental illness beneficiaries have been admitted to the Home.
The purpose of the Half Way Home is to care for and rehabilitate the mentally ill who have been treated in hospitals, to provide them with vocational training, and to reunite them with their families.
The following benefits will be provided to the Beneficiaries:
- Trainees at the Half Way Home are provided with trainings such as wire basket knitting, tailoring, crafts, etc. and self-employment as a means of earning a living and within enough to go outside and work beneficiaries working in and creating inflatable companies in areas around Tirupattur such as company bakery and hotels.
- SRDPS provides training in camphor and sambarani production, as well as sports fitness, yoga, and dance.
- They are also provided with songs for mental pleasure and taken on tours of vegetable markets and bus stands.
- Beneficiaries from Chennai, Kanchipuram, Tiruvallur, Chengalpattu, Ranipettai, Vellore, Krishnagiri, Dharmapuri, and Tirupattur districts are allowed to participate.
At present, there are 10 male beneficiaries.
