Yvonne Blijd, spokesperson of the Landlopersbrigade, pointed out that things are going smoothly thanks to the collaboration with several ministries. The brigade which has been tasked with getting homeless people off the streets receives assistance from the Ministry of Justice and Police, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Social Affairs and Housing (Sozavo) en Defensie. The police and the Psychiatric Center Suriname (PCS) also lend a helping hand to the project. Blijd explained that the first phase is mainly aimed at collecting information. “We are working with the police and we have already taken sixty people off the streets. We want to get a clear picture of the number of homeless people in Paramaribo. The objective is to improve the situation on the streets by giving these people the help that they need.” Blijf pointed out that citizens often do not realize the magnitude of the homeless issue. She referred to the attack on a woman by a homeless man. “I deliberately used the word homeless because I find it a better one than bum.” After the homeless people are taken off the streets they receive a makeover, clean clothes and food. Their relatives are then contacted. “After we have given them a makeover, we approach their family. Most of the families that we have contacted give a positive response and are willing to provide a home to their relative. But there are also cases where relatives refuse to let the person back in the house.”

The Health Ministry provides a doctor to the project while the PCS provides the treatment for the homeless people with a mental illness. The Ministry of Social Affairs and Housing takes care of the paperwork when the homeless people are not registered. Blijf explained that the project which is coordinated at a strategic level also receives support from the Office of the President. The brigade still does not have its own shelter but threen locations in the Para District have already been identified. Officials are currently getting these locations ready to accommodate the people who are taken off the streets. Blijd acknowledged that the brigade still lacks certain resources but revealed that food will be available next month thanks to a donation from Tyrone Spong. She urged citizens and organizations that provide food, clothes and other things to homeless people to join forces with the brigade in order to address the issue more effectively.