Cape Town: The Community, Arts and Culture Development Department (CACD) of the City of Cape Town is ramping up the support for Non-Profit Organisations (NGOs) to bolster their capacity in helping people sleeping rough on the street with shelter and social support during winter.
As a major part of its annual Winter Preparedness Programme, the City of Cape Town will provide resources to help in increasing the shelter capacity and improve the support services for vulnerable residents facing the elements.
The applications for assistance closed on April 04, 2025, with 11 shelters that applied for support. These applications represented a potential 200 additional bed spaces across the metropole. The applications are now being reviewed with the planned allocation of resources that is set to begin in May.
As it has become custom, the City of Cape Town supports shelters by supplementing their available resources with food parcels, toiletries, mattresses and bedding as well as Expanded Public Works Programme workers to assist with cooking and cleaning.
Member of the Mayoral Committee for Community Services and Health – Councillor Francine Higham said that the winter aid programme is critical in easing the load on shelters. They do see an increase in persons seeking assistance during the winter months, especially when given the very severe weather that they have experienced over the past two seasons.
The Community, Arts and Culture Development Department will continue to help those in need throughout the long Cape winter, as they also asked the public to assist where it is possible for them. They also asked to please donate goods or cash to a shelter of their choice, or even volunteer at a facility and help in making a meaningful difference in the lives of persons on the street or working towards reintegration.
As a part of the City of Cape Town efforts, the persons can be accommodated free of charge at a City-run Safe Space or at partner NGOs, which is a transitional shelter. Once there, they also have access to personal and skills development programmes and even short-term work opportunities.
Apart from the winter aid, more longer-term plans are also in progress to ensure the sustainability of NPOs working with persons living on the streets. Chief among these are plans to provide capacity building training for shelters in partnership with the provincial Department of Social Development (DSD), with the aim of ensuring compliance with various legislative requirements.
Among all the training topics, the included ones are Financial management, Environmental Health management and Building & Development.