Guangdong Shelter Deaths Spark Nationwide Checks

(Beijing) — The Ministry of Civil Affairs has launched a nationwide inspection of private care centers for the homeless amid a public uproar over 21 deaths in two months at a private facility in Guangdong province.

Local regulators are required to inspect shelters — contracted by the government to provide care for vagrants and the homeless — in their respective jurisdictions for service levels, safety standards, licensing and sources of funding, in accordance with government regulations, according to a notice the ministry released Tuesday.

Those that fail to meet required standards will be ordered to suspend services pending upgrades or to close for good, the ministry said.

Shelter operators are also required to register the names of all residents with the national database of missing persons, a measure that could have helped prevent the death of a 15-year-old autistic boy who disappeared in Shenzhen and died after being moved to a private facility in Shaoguan, Guangdong, on Dec. 3.

Care centers are already required to provide details of missing people with local media outlets.

The government-run shelter in Shaoguan did not register the boy with the national database of missing persons before transferring him to the Lianxi Care Center, a privately run homeless shelter that it had contracted to accommodate more people.

Twenty other homeless people died at the private shelter between Jan. 1 and Feb. 19, The Beijing News reported Monday, citing records from a local morgue.

Contact reporter Li Rongde (rongdeli@caixin.com )