Cape Town: City representatives presented the administration’s approach to reduce rough sleeping to delegates at the annual Vanguard Summit in London, this week. Cape Town is using its membership of the Institute for Global Homelessness’ Vanguard Cities cohort to strengthen its response to rough sleeping. While continuing to expand Safe Spaces and shelter capacity locally.
As per the sources, Cape Town became one of 18 Vanguard Cities and the second in South Africa, when the City signed the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the IGH in November 2025. Under the agreement, Cape Town commits to working with the IGH to set and achieve outcome and impact goals to reduce rough sleeping by 2030.
Annually measuring the extent of homelessness in the City for reporting to the IGH and working to include people who have lived experiences of homelessness in the City’s plans to reduce rough sleeping. This week, City representatives joined delegates from other member cities in London for the annual Vanguard Summit.
Head of the Street People Programme – Megan Pangeni presented Cape Town’s strategy to reduce rough sleeping. It specifically involved the plans to develop data management systems that provide insights for evidence-led solutions and improved collaboration. The strategy guides the implementation through prevention, intervention and collaboration opportunities to make homelessness rare, brief and unrepeated.
Member of the Mayoral Committee for Community Services and Health – Councillor Francine Higham stated that rough sleeping is one of the most complex social challenges facing cities across the world and Cape Town is no exception.
Their approach is to keep expanding practical, dignified support while working with partners who can help people move off the streets and into safer spaces. Being part of the Vanguard Cities cohort allows them to learn from other cities, test their own approach, and keep improving the way they respond locally.
Alongside the summit, the City delegation also held local engagements with homelessness and urban policy partners in London. With discussions focusing on practical approaches to prevention strategies, reducing rough sleeping, strengthening partnerships and learning from city-level responses that can inform Cape Town’s own work.
The delegation also attended the three-year anniversary celebration of the Homewards initiative. It is a programme established by the Prince and Princess of Wales to address homelessness. During the event, Megan Pangeni met with the Prince of Wales to discuss approaches in addressing homelessness in Cape Town.
Cape Town’s interventions this year included the City’s Safe Space model, such as:
- dignified shelter
- comfort and ablutions
- two meals per day
- access to a social worker on-site
- skills training
- help finding a job
- access to EPWP work placement
- personal development planning
- various social services, including ID Book and social grant assistance
- family reunification services
- access to substance and alcohol abuse treatment
Over 11 months since July 2025, the Street People Programme Unit screened 10,217 people, that conducted follow up visits with 22,843 individuals, secured shelter placements and other support for 2,115 people and reunified 163 with their families.
The City is continuing to fund the expansion of facilities to help people off the streets. Since 2018, the City of Cape Town has opened four safe spaces, earlier this year, Safe Space 1 reopened after a R7.7 million upgrade that included sleeping quarters, ablution facilities and a covered dining area with washing facilities.
The redevelopment of the Paint City Safe Space is on the cards for the new financial year. The City has also helped in funding the expansion of Haven Night Shelter facilities. Already, the number of bed spaces at Napier Street has increased by over 60%, while the number of beds at the Haven’s Retreat shelter has doubled. The expansion of the Kensington Haven shelter, valued at just over R7 million, is nearing practical completion. The upgraded shelter will have capacity to house 250 people.