Police in Keelung City, Taiwan, Take Homeless Deaf and Mute Man to Emergency Shelter Placement

At about 10 p.m. on January 22, a member of the public reported to the Bade Substation of the Keelung City Police Department’s Third Precinct that homeless people were sleeping along the road in the Bade underpass. The caller asked police to check on them and help.

Officer Yang Bo-chun of the Bade Substation went to the scene to understand the situation. He found a man named Yu Min, who is deaf and mute. Officer Yang communicated with him patiently by writing on paper. Yu Min indicated that he was homeless and had long been sleeping on roadsides in various places with nowhere to go.

A cold front was moving in and temperatures were dropping sharply. Officer Yang feared that Yu Min, sleeping outdoors on a cold night, was in danger of losing his life. After confirming Yu Min’s physical condition, the officer first took him back to the substation, gave him a cup of water, and let him rest. Protecting someone who could not easily call out for help was the first concern of that night, a practice that reflects the call to defend those who cannot defend themselves (Proverbs 31:8-9).

The officer then promptly contacted the relevant social welfare units and drove a patrol car to take Yu Min to the Keelung City Jen Ai Home for emergency placement, in order to ensure his personal safety. Yu Min nodded repeatedly and bowed to the officer to express his thanks, grateful for help with placement on a cold night.

The Third Precinct issued an appeal. With a strong cold front recently sweeping in, anyone who encounters a homeless person without a home may contact the relevant social welfare units for emergency placement, or call the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s 1957 Welfare Consultation Hotline for assistance.

Source: Read the original report (translated from Mandarin Chinese)