CIDC Social Outreach: Family Matters – A family supports its own
Becky Smith (not her real name) age 36, originally from Mossel Bay came to Cape Town more than 14 years ago, in the hope of finding a job. Unable to find employment, she landed up on the streets of Claremont where she has been living rough for the past 14 years.
Last August she became very ill and was admitted to DP Marais hospital, which specialises in the treatment of TB. During Becky’s time at DP Marais hospital, the CIDC’s Social Fieldworker, Carmen Bosman, with the assistance of a Social Worker who was working on Becky’s case, learnt that she had family in Cape Town.
Carmen promptly set plans in place and made contact with Becky’s Cape Town family. Together they made contact with her family in Mossel Bay with the aim of reuniting Becky* with them.
On Saturday 8th April 2017, Becky, along with an aunt and uncle to accompany her, departed Cape Town for Mossel Bay where she was reunified with her immediate family.
“The fostering of resilience in young people is based on a variety of social, cultural, and political factors that impact their interactions with and in the community. Through analysis of life history narratives of young women experiencing homelessness, this research links resilience not to traits inherent in individual young people, but to sustained social support”
[Family Matters: A Strengths-based Family Resiliency Perspective Toward Improving the Health of Youth Women Experiencing Homelessness – Vanessa Oliver / Robyn LeBlanc]
