An official from a local homeless shelter said that many of Shanghai's homeless people refuse to accept government assistance in response to a microblogger who wondered why the city's homeless could not get help from the government, local media reported Thursday.

A microblogger posted Wednesday that an old beggar had been living on the corner of Tianshan Road for more than two months in the cold weather without any help. He expressed his sympathy for the old man and questioned why the city's government wasn't doing more to help the homeless.

An official surnamed Sun with the government-run homeless shelter in Changning district said he has known the old man that the microblogger mentioned for more than a decade. In that time, the man had stayed at the shelter at one point, but left after a few days because he wasn't allowed to drink there.

"I think he's a professional beggar. In the past, we have given him blankets, food and other personal care items, but he always sells them for cash," Sun told the Global Times.

Shanghai has 20 urban assistance stations, which provide homeless people with food, clothing and other necessities.

The shelters can also provide them with tickets to return to their native provinces or regions. According to Chinese law, the shelters are allowed to accommodate a homeless person for up to 10 consecutive days.

Sun said shelter workers tour the streets each day looking for homeless who need help. "The truth is," Sun said, "a large number of the homeless are unwilling to accept our assistance. They prefer to remain on the streets at night, rather than stay in our shelters."

Shanghai's shelters have helped about 3,000 people since December 2012, according to the news website eastday.com.