Local govt opens 24-hour winter shelters for homeless

local civil affairs bureau has opened temporary 24-hour shelters for the homeless to help ensure they survive the winter, local media reported Thursday.

The bureau has set up 18 district and county-level relief stations where homeless residents can have access to free food, showers and accommodation. Admission to the shelters is voluntary.

At the same time, a service group composed of police, civil affairs staff and urban management officers, will patrol the streets to find minors and mentally-ill patients in areas such as underpasses, construction sites, railway stations and ports.　

The authority will mobilize community security officers, sanitation workers, taxi drivers and late-night restaurant employees to help find homeless residents. It also asked residents to call 110, the 962200 community service hotline or the 12319 urban construction hotline when they find homeless people on the street.