On 10 October, the CCID’s Social Development department commemorated World Homeless Day together with many of its partners at the City of Cape Town’s overnight Safe Space facility under the Culemborg bridge in the Foreshore area.
World Homeless Day is observed on 10 October annually to draw attention to the plight of streetpeople and to provide opportunities for communities to get involved in responding to homelessness while taking advantage of the stage an international day provides.
Says Pat Eddy, manager of CCID Social Development: “For us, World Homeless Day is an opportunity to bring into the public eye those people in our community who live on the streets and who are so often seen as less than ‘human’. This is about raising awareness around the challenges faced by the approximately 1 000 streetpeople living in the Cape Town Central City and its surrounding neighbourhoods. But most importantly, it’s about bringing us all together, public and private sector, to continue to seek sustainable solutions to these challenges together.
“It was wonderful to mark the day at the Safe Space, a place many of our clients now consider a safe haven, and a place we all hope will be a pathway towards new lives for them. It was also wonderful to see different organisations and individuals from the Central City and beyond coming together to commemorate the day, showing once again what we can achieve through collaboration.”
The day was marked with a wide-ranging programme that included a wedding between Nathaniel Booysen and Sophia Schalk. According to a Timeslive report, Nathaniel has been living on the streets for 12 years and Sophia has been homeless for 10 years.
This was the second wedding at the Safe Space – the first having taken place in August earlier this year between Llewellyn Jenniker and Cecilia Jenniker, who’ve been living together on the streets for decades.
According to a statement by Alderman JP Smith, the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security and Social Services, combating homelessness requires a collective effort. And, while in the three and a half months since the Safe Space opened its gates, the City had already seen numerous success stories, the road ahead is filled with challenges.
“World Homeless Day is, therefore, an opportune time to highlight these challenges,” says Smith “and consider how we can possibly overcome them. It speaks to educating the public about issues that street people face.
“I implore Capetonians to look beyond the nuisance that many consider street people to be and to invest time and effort to try and understand the individuals and their stories. Also, the reasons for migration to the street are varied and complicated and it is worth our while interrogating these. A myriad of social issues can contribute to homelessness, whether physical or mental illness; a breakdown in family ties; physical, sexual or substance abuse; unemployment and more.”
Fieldworkers from the CCID's Social Development, from right Headman Sirala-rala, Shanien Rich and Mark Williams
CCID field worker Headman Siralarala formed part of the CCID team that observed World Homeless Day at the Safe Space, and says he is encouraged by the conversations that took place: “It was great to see different organisations coming together to make a difference, but I also share Pat’s sentiments that sustainable solutions are needed to deal with the many challenges that our clients face.
“I was pleased, on the day, to hear Alderman Smith saying the City’s Social Development Department would embark on a headcount of street people in the coming months and that the findings will inform their street people programmes and social outreach going forward. I was also heartened to hear that the City envisions rolling out more Safe Spaces across the metropole. While this will be dependent on funding, it is encouraging to see that these conversations are taking place to assist our clients.”
Along with the team from the CCID’s Social Development department, others who participated on the day included a number of the organisation’s partners, such as The Carpenter's Shop and Cape Argus activist and columnist Danny Oosthuizen of The Dignity Project, as well as other companies, organisations and individuals who volunteered and contributed, among them The Cutting Room (a hair salon that provided makeovers on the day), Mosaic, Proud2b ME, Ubuntu Circle of Courage, Chapel Street Clinic, the Al-Imdaad Foundation, Rare Grill, the South Africa Social Security Agency, Epilepsy South Africa Western Cape Branch, FNB, and the Cape Peninsula Organisation for the Aged.
Images by Alec van de Rheede (assistant manager for CCID Safety & Security), Muneeb “Mo” Hendricks (manager of CCID Safety & Security)