CHENNAI: The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has been taking initiatives to improve the multiple night shelters across the city, with the focus on upgrading infrastructure, improving hygiene, and expanding capacity at several key locations after the 2026 assembly election.
Nearly a month ago, the Corporation issued a series of tenders for the extensive repair and improvement of night shelters across various zones in the city. This move follows a departmental shift where the Buildings Department took over the maintenance and upgrade responsibilities for these facilities.
The improvement works will be carried out in the shelters, such as the women and girls night shelter in CD Hospital and Government RSRM Lying-in Hospital in Tondiarpet and Royapuram respectively. Similarly, the only transgender night shelter is at Mc Nicholas Road, and the men’s and women’s night shelter is inside Kilpauk Medical College Hospital campus in Anna Nagar zone. Night shelters are located at Pasumpon Muthuramalingam Salai and Kavignar Bharathidasan Salai in Teynampet Zone. In the north part of Chennai, shelters are located at Moolachatram Main Road and CMDA Truck Terminals in Madhavaram and Gopalasamy Street Shelter in Thiru Vi Ka Nagar.
A senior Corporation official told DT Next, “Based on the requirements of the night shelters, renovations and repair works will be carried out.”
According to GCC data, which operates 49 shelters to support the urban homeless, the largest number is in Royapuram zone with 13 shelters, followed by 8 in Teynampet, 6 in Tondiarpet, and 4 in Anna Nagar. Three zones have 3 shelters each, 3 zones have 2 shelters, and 3 zones have 1 shelter. These facilities are categorised into men, women, boys, girls, elderly men and women, and also for men and women with psychosocial needs and physically challenged women.
Explaining the renovation work, a night shelter coordinator in Teynampet said, “The old electrical cables, charging points, new toilets, water tankers and pipeline in the shelter will be replaced with the new ones.”
The old electrical cables, charging points, new toilets, water tankers and pipeline in the shelter will be replaced with the new onesA night shelter coordinator in Teynampet
In December 2025, the GCC inaugurated the first-of-its-kind dedicated family night shelter for the Gypsy community near the Anna Swimming Pool, behind the Anna Square bus stand. The shelter can accommodate 80 people.