Library for the homeless: A case study of a Shelter House and a School for Homeless in Indonesia and Malaysia

Abstract

Social problems are inevitable in urban communities. One of the problems is homeless. In Indonesia there is a foundation that provides shelter house for homeless, named Yayasan Bina Insan Mandiri (BIM). This shelter provides some books which functions as a simple library which provides reading materials for those who living in this shelter. While, in Malaysia there is a school for homeless and books are provided there too. In this article, the writer will get some data from a shelter house named Master (served by BIM) in Jakarta, Indonesia and data from a school for homeless in Malaysia. The writers will evaluate how this shelter and school operate the libraries provided there, what the benefits for the homeless and poor people and what the role of government in intervening this practice. In Indonesia, there is a governnment regulation no. 39 year 2012 about social welfare operation. The regulation mandated the implementation of social rehabilitation. Social rehabilitation is intended to restore and develop abilities for someone who suffers from social dysfunction in order to carry out his reasonable social function. This research will employ qualitative methods with indepth interview with social workers, volunterary teachers, homeless and government officers who conduct social rehabilitation. This research will give benefit for social workers in developing the library for fulfilling the needs of homeless and also give recommendation for government official in sustain the program for homeless deal with the providing and improving library for them.