2,953 homeless youth taken off the streets

The Shanghai civil affairs authority helped 2,953 homeless children get off the streets from January to October, Xinmin Evening News reported Monday.

With winter's coldest months approaching, police and civil affairs officers will increase patrols around bridges and under elevated highways to find homeless minors, said Zhou Zheng, director of the Shanghai Homeless Shelter.

"Most homeless children found in the city come from provinces in central or western China. We will try to contact their parents to come for them. Otherwise, we will try to take them to their hometowns," Zhou told the Global Times.

Those who are ill will be treated in Shanghai first before they are sent home. The shelter will also arrange job skill training course for homeless youths who are 16 years old or older, provided that it receives consent from the minor or his or her parents.

The city civil affair authority plans increase the patrols to make sure that every homeless youth will be properly taken care of.

However, Zhou did not specify how often the patrols would take place.

Normally, homeless adults are allowed to spend up to 10 days at the Shanghai Homeless Shelter, but homeless minors can stay until they have a proper place to go to, Zhou told the Global Times.