The bitterly cold and wet weather these past few weeks has once again highlighted the desperate plight of the many homeless on our streets. There are several local organisations who work in partnership to address the trials faced by street people and the challenges their situation presents to the CIDC and other Claremont CBD stakeholders.
The CIDC recently invited U-Turn, a ministry facilitating the rehabilitation of the homeless, to address members of CIDC staff and other stakeholders, about the operation and rehabilitation programmes of the organisation. “Homelessness is a universal problem and forms an established part of our community,” says U-Turn Director, Sam Vos. “It cannot be seen as a separate issue.” “The challenges are particularly critical at the start of every winter. At U-Turn, we try and move people off the street permanently. This goal is not a dash or a sprint, but a marathon, as we are committed to long-term rehabilitation.”
By building greater trust with street people, U-Turn have found that the number of unique individuals accessing their services is decreasing while the number of services drawn on are increasing. Their first step is to provide stable accommodation. “No-one needs to sleep rough,” say Vos. “There is enough food and shelter in the broader Cape Town to take care of our homeless if they want to be taken care of.” Although U-Turn itself does not have accommodation, it works in close co-operation with organisations such as The Haven and The Owl to provide shelter.
A daily IT literacy programme offered by U-Turn, is also available to people in shelters, as well as a 6-8 week dependency programme for drug addicts and alcoholics. “High addiction rates and easy money through begging on the streets exacerbates the problem. We believe that small change makes no change. Too often the cash is used for alcohol or drugs, which is why we prefer to promote the purchase of vouchers, which entitle the bearer to a free meal or clothing from U-Turn,” says Vos.
After graduating from phase one of the programme, participants then qualify for the second phase which focuses on providing marketable skills and training. U-Turn then assists with finding work opportunities, such as graffiti removal or cleaning, in partnership with Straatwerk, for all programme participants.
Vos has an ambitious vision: he envisages a neighborhood in which every beggar, instead of getting small change, is handed a voucher redeemable at U-Turn for a meal or clothing. “In this way the homeless can be engaged and encouraged to participate in our rehabilitation programme,” says Vos. His wish is that local business and community members buy into the voucher system. “Our long term goal is to declare many clusters or voucher zones across Cape Town, which then all feed into one central work scheme. The ideal outcome we would like to see, is that the individual need never rely on charity again.”
“Too many charities in South Africa today focus too much on charity and not enough on empowering the individual. Our work programme is our strength and we are committed to it, because it works,” remarks Vos. He quotes figures of 1100 individuals having been seen by U-Turn in 2011. Of those, 60% successfully graduated from the programme, with 60% still being employed six months after having left the programme. We have a 36% long term success rate,” says Vos.
U-Turn is funded through self-generated income working for the City of Cape Town, donations and grant applications. They also run a Charity shop, Nu-life, at 32 Victor Avenue in Southfield where several of their successful programme qualifiers are employed.
The CIDC’s Executive Manager, Abdul Kerbelker, closed the meeting with the view that if the U-Turn model could be marketed globally, it would go a long way toward solving the issues and challenges of homelessness around the world.
For more information: visit www.homeless.org.za