The City of Cape Town is running an initiative to raise awareness around the plight of people who are living on the street. This initiative emphasises the importance of giving, those who need a hand up rather than a handout.
Instead of a cash handout, which often increases the risk of prolonged homelessness, they encouraged people to make a donation. They support many shelters with help, that actually helps and enable people who live on the street to find better lives.
As you refresh your home for new year, consider giving someone else a fresh start too. These can be a sort of donation through the clothes, blankets and household items that you no longer need and donate them to a local shelter.
Your ‘unwanted’ items could be someone else’s lasting gift of warmth and dignity and should create a room for change.
These are some of the shelters that the City of Cape Town supports:
- The Haven – 11 Shelters
- Safe Spaces
- Bonne Esperance Refugee Project
- Moira Henderson House
- Elim Night Shelter
- Loaves and Fishes
- Owl Shelter
- Somerset West Night Shelter
Your donation can help someone meet their basic needs, such as:
- Breakfast or a hot meal
- A night in a warm bed
- A mask or hand sanitiser
- In the right hands, your donation meets the needy ones
Why should we donate?
By donating something, we are giving dignity to the people who would like to get off the street and find assistance at the shelters which are supported and endorsed by the City of Cape Town.
By making a contribution to the needy we ensure that the goods we donate are used wisely and for the benefit of people who actually need it. We can also help to create better communities in which people are happier, more independent and more secure.
How do shelters help people?
Shelters that focus on reintegrating people into society and help them to get off the streets sustainably. At most shelters, the clients can get a warm bed and a meal and can also have access to ablution facilities.
They can store their belongings and get access to healthcare. The Social workers assist with personal development programmes by reuniting families and referrals for substance abuse or mental health issues. Clients also receive help with ID documents, SASSA grants, skills training and finding employment.
Who runs these shelters?
These shelters are generally run by the expert NGOs and are registered with the Western Cape Government.
How are these shelters funded?
These shelters generally rely on a combination of public donations, that are limited to government subsidies, along with the added support of City of Cape Town’s grant-in-aid funding. In some cases, a small access fee is charged to shelter clients. Sometimes clients offer to help around the shelter if they cannot pay the fee.
How the City support shelters?
The City of Cape Town provides financial support to 20 shelters. It is helping to add over 550 beds this winter through a combination of expanded City-run Safe Spaces and over R13.5 million in grant-in-aid funding support to NGO-run shelters.
Every year the City of Cape Town runs a Winter Readiness Programme from May to September, in which it supports organisations that provide shelter by supplementing their available resources to enable them to assist more indigent people. The City has also helped to expand shelter buildings operating on municipal-owned land.