Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis has announced that the City will assist NPO-run homeless shelters by adding 294 temporary bed spaces at their facilities to help more people get off the streets this winter.
As part of the annual Winter Readiness campaign, the City will provide additional support to these shelters by deploying 184 EPWP workers to help lighten the winter workload over the next six months.
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The Winter Readiness Programme is an important component of the City’s social support for vulnerable populations. The total budget for the City’s Street People programme for 23/24 is R94,75m, a 23% increase from 22/23 as the only metro dedicating a social development budget to helping people off the streets.
The City is signing Memorandums of Agreement (MOAs) with four registered non-profit organisations following a winter aid application process: Ubuntu Circle of Courage, U-Turn, TASP and the Haven Night Shelter.
The City will also provide non-perishable foodstuffs, cleaning materials, hygiene packs, mattresses, linen and blankets to the shelters in addition to the 294 temporary bed spaces. A total of 184 personnel will be deployed through the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) to assist non-profit organisations with general and administrative tasks.
‘These 300 beds and 184 support staff will go a long way to supporting NPOs in their efforts to help more people off the streets this winter,’ said Mayor Hill-Lewis. ‘Accepting social assistance to get off the streets is the best choice anyone can make for dignity, health and well-being.’
He continued, ‘Besides our support for NPOs, the City will spend R230 million over three years to expand and operate our own Safe Space transitional shelters. These facilities currently offer around 700 beds in the CBD and Bellville, along with a range of social interventions to reintegrate people into society.’
The mayor explained that the City’s expansion plans include the proposed 300-bed safe space in Green Point, which is currently being reviewed by the public.
‘Our winter readiness programme is but one of many interventions that the City has put in place to assist our vulnerable groups. We have very good relationships with the NGO sector, and we thank them for their tireless work and continued partnership,’ said Councillor Patricia van der Ross, mayoral committee member for community services and health.
She added, ‘It is important to take a step back in order to see the bigger picture and appreciate the hard work that happens on a daily basis. There is no easy, universal fix to what is a complex social challenge, and the City is doing all it can to make a meaningful difference in people’s lives by helping them off the streets.’
The Winter Readiness programme supplements ongoing interventions by the City’s Street People Programme Unit to assist individuals in getting off the street. The services provided by the unit include facilitating access to social developmental services; relocating to shelters, reuniting with family or reintegrating into their community; and social outreach interventions.
In March 2023 alone, the unit had over 2 700 interactions with homeless people, facilitating shelter placement for 206 people.
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Picture: Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis / Facebook