Last Updated: 1:18pm, Jun 30, 2014

IT IS not uncommon to hear Soup Kitchens efforts in the heart of Kuala Lumpur that help people in need, but a majority of the public believe that those who frequent these NGO-powered initiatives are those who are homeless.

This is not entirely true as it is not just the homeless who wait patiently for the food, but also those who live in poverty rely very much on these Soup Kitchens to get by day after day and perhaps save a little money to move out of poverty.

Unfortunately, these people have been stigmatised and the Social Welfare Department have categorised them as being destitute persons.

The government address homelessness and poverty through the Destitute Persons Act 1977 (DPA) and through raids, tries its best to clear the streets of Kuala Lumpur of vagrants and needy.

Though these may help to clear the streets at night, the harsh reality is that there are more and more people falling into the poverty hole.

An invitation by activist Hussain Sajad had fz.com walking the streets of Chow Kit at night to get familiar with the unfortunate who represent the bottom of Malaysia’s economic pyramid.

Though the statistics of the homeless is not big, the numbers of those in poverty is huge and growing day by day if the indication from those frequenting the Soup Kitchens is anything to go by.

Follow fz.com’s crew as we scour the streets of the city of Kuala Lumpur to highlight the issues of the people who are deemed as ‘destitute’ in their attempt to survive on a daily basis.

This is the story of the people trying their best to survive between being homeless and in poverty.

For more stories, go to www.fz.com, the website for freedom of expression and fairness in articulation.