A building in Chow Kit here will be turned into a shelter for the homeless, said Kuala Lumpur mayor Datuk Seri Ahmad Phesal Talib said.

He said a few storeys of the building would house sleeping cabins for the homeless while the ground floor would be equipped with a health centre for them.

Ahmad Phesal was speaking to reporters after accompanying Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak who dropped by at a soup kitchen and met the homeless in the vicinity of the Cahaya Suria building, Jalan Tun Perak here last night.

Najib, who was accompanied by Federal Territories Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor and Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Rohani Abdul Karim, spoke to several homeless people during the walkabout.

Meanwhile, Rohani said the prime minister wanted the homeless aged 60 and above to be sheltered at Rumah Seri Kenangan which was under the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry's administration.

On children living with their homeless mothers or fathers, she said it was difficult to address the problem if the parents refused to allow the Welfare Services Department to look after their children.

"If possible, we want to look after the children of homeless parents while they look for work. As the parents do not want to be separated from their children, we have respect their wishes," she said.