Cape Town Mayor, Geordin Hill-Lewis has recently announced that the City will allocate an additional R10 million to its budget for additional bed spaces at homeless shelters ahead of the winter season.
According to Hill-Lewis, this will be part of the City’s Care Programme to help people off the streets has been increased to R77 million in this budget.
“R142 million is set aside to operate and expand City-run Safe Spaces in the next 3 years. Our Safe Spaces programme provides secure alternative accommodation for the homeless and opportunities to find employment, move into formal accommodation, and, where necessary, enter into drug and alcohol rehabilitation programmes, “Hill-Lewis said.
The Mayor went on to say that like other cities around the world, Cape Town is faced with complex social problems, such as the worsening crisis of homelessness.
“Homelessness is caused by a complex interaction between poverty, a lack of housing availability, drug use and mental illness.
“This has worsened over the past two years, both as a result of the severe economic harm of lockdowns, and the resultant explosion in stress, anxiety, mental disorder, domestic violence, substance abuse and poverty,” Hill-Lewis added.
Meanwhile, Western Cape Premier Alan Winde has also welcomed the announcement by President Cyril Ramaphosa that the National State of Disaster will finally come to an end.
According to Winde, the announcement ensures a much-needed focus on economic recovery, and will undoubtedly improve confidence in the economy, as the province fight the second pandemic of joblessness.
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