Bishkek Homeless Shelters Prepare for Winter Amid Uncertainty Over Numbers

Bishkek has prepared shelter accommodation for up to 150 homeless people this winter, but City Hall’s November 9 announcement gave no updated estimate of how many need help. The seasonal shelter in the Oktyabrsky district has 80 places and will remain open until April 1, 2027. Kolomto, the city’s year-round shelter in the Pervomaysky district, takes in 70 to 100 people a night despite having just 70 beds. The shelter, whose name means “hearth” in Kyrgyz, provides one meal a day and medical examinations. The nonprofit Mercy Center has a further 40 places reserved for women with children in crisis. That brings the combined capacity of the three facilities to 190. How Many People Are Homeless in Bishkek? Bishkek’s difficulties in counting its homeless population long predate this winter. In 2012, about 500 people were officially registered as homeless, while unofficial estimates exceeded 3,000. An April 2016 report put the figure at about 3,500, citing the state news agency Kabar. In 2022, City Hall told a council committee that more than 1,300 people were homeless in Bishkek. The city gave no details of how it arrived at that figure, making comparisons with earlier years difficult. Why People Lose Their Homes When Kloop interviewed Kolomto residents in 2016, one man described how hard it was to find work after leaving prison. A woman said she had lost her home and identity documents in a fire. Without identification, people can struggle to obtain medical care, receive social benefits, or find formal employment. Kolomto’s staff help visitors replace documents, locate relatives, and arrange long-term residential care for older people. According to figures in the city’s 2026–2028 social protection program, Kolomto assisted 2,442 people in 2024. Of those, 284 recovered their identity documents and 149 were reunited with their families. The city allocates 70 soms (about $0.80) per person per day for food at Kolomto, the same amount officials reported in 2022. Winter Cold and the City's Plans for More Shelters During the January 2018 cold snap, temperatures in Bishkek approached −30°C (−22°F). Shelters were full, and at least 15 homeless people died of hypothermia that month. In 2019, City Hall outlined plans for a shelter with 250 to 300 places. The city’s development plan earmarked 37 million soms for construction in 2021. The social protection program that the city council adopted in December 2025 calls for a 200-place rehabilitation center to help people return to independent living. For now, Kolomto has the same number of beds it had a decade ago. How Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan Address Homelessness In Astana, Kazakhstan’s capital, the Demeu center for social rehabilitation has 180 beds for stays of up to a year and 50 overnight places. City officials told NewTimes.kz that the center helped 1,571 people in 2025. On September 9, Almaty police said they had taken 388 people to the Pana social adaptation center since the start of the year. Of those, 54 chose to stay for further assistance. The others declined after an initial examination. In...