A Home at Last: Life Mission Restores Dignity

Kozhikkode: For 72-year-old Jayabharathiyamma from Olavanna panchayat in Kozhikkode, the feeling of safety came not from locks or walls — but from a roof that no longer drips. After years of living in a crumbling hut that barely kept out the rain, she now has a house of her own — one built for her under the Kerala government’s Life Mission housing scheme.

“I still can’t believe this is mine,” she says, glancing around the freshly painted walls. “The nights of fear and sleeplessness are over. I feel like I am living in heaven.”

For years, Jayabharathiyamma lived in a tiled, leaking house that had a little protection. On rainy nights, she would often seek shelter at a neighbour’s house as water poured through the roof. 

“I have suffered a lot. I never imagined I would one day have a proper home” she said. 

For years, she endured nights when the roof leaked and the walls trembled.  On rainy nights, she would often seek shelter at a neighbour’s house as water poured through the roof. 

“Sometimes the tiles would fall from above. I was terrified. I slept clutching a vessel to my chest,” she recalls.

Living alone, Jayabharathiyamma rarely has visitors, though her neighbours look out for her when they can. 

“I had nothing, and now I have this home. No amount of thanks will ever be enough for what the government has done,” she says.

Three years have passed since she moved in, yet her voice still trembles when she talks about the comfort her new home gives her. 

“Only one thing is missing — a steady water supply,” she says with a hopeful smile. “Once that’s done, there’s nothing more I’ll need.”

Launched in 2016, the Life Mission (Livelihood Inclusion and Financial Empowerment) project is one of Kerala’s most ambitious social welfare initiatives, aimed at ensuring every family in the state has a safe and secure home. The scheme focuses on providing housing to the landless and homeless, particularly those listed under the extreme poverty and Below Poverty Line categories.

According to government data, over 4.6 lakhs houses have been completed under Life Mission so far, with thousands more in various stages of construction. The project brings together resources from the state, local bodies, and cooperative institutions, alongside beneficiary contributions, ensuring that no deserving family is left behind.

In Kozhikode district alone, the mission has transformed the lives of thousands who once lived in unsafe and temporary shelters. Panchayats and municipalities actively identify beneficiaries through field surveys, ensuring that elderly women like Jayabharathiyamma — who often live in isolation and hardship — are given priority.

Beyond housing, Life Mission also aims to empower families through livelihood support and basic infrastructure facilities like electricity, sanitation, and water supply. 

For Jayabharathiyamma, however, Life Mission means something simpler — peace. “I used to pray every night that the roof wouldn’t fall in on me,” she says. “Now, when I close my eyes, I sleep without fear.”