It’s time to give hope to the homeless population of the Central City, whose challenges have been compounded by Covid-19, as the Cape Town Central City Improvement District (CCID) gets ready to launch its annual fundraising drive to raise R100 000 for the destitute.
Giving hope to the homeless lies at the heart of the Show You Care fundraising drive by the Cape Town Central City Improvement District’s (CCID) Social Development department this year.
The annual fundraising drive supports the work of the CCID’s six partner NGOs that work with the homeless community in the city centre. Last year’s Show You Care campaign raised R85 210.80 in a very tight economy thanks to generous donations from members of the public and businesses in the CBD.
This year, the campaign launches with the Western Cape in the midst of its tough fight against the coronavirus pandemic. “During this pandemic, the CCID has seen challenges facing members of our homeless community doubling, from shelter space, sanitation and a desperate lack of food,” notes CCID CEO Tasso Evangelinos.
Adds Pat Eddy, CCID Social Development manager: “Life on the streets is generally extremely difficult as there is often insufficient social service support. Added to that, our cold wet winter makes it much more difficult to survive on the streets. The pandemic has demonstrated the need for each one of us to shift our focus and consider how we can better support the less fortunate in our community.”
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
Each year the campaign makes a difference to the operation of NGOs who work closely with the CBD’s homeless community. Funds raised in the 2019 campaign were distributed as follows: A financial donation of R14 201.80 was paid to Khulisa Social Solutions, The Homestead Projects for Street Children and Ons Plek Projects, while Straatwerk, Youth Solutions Africa (Y.S.A) and The Hope Exchange received washing machines and tumble driers as per their request.
These partner NGOs provide shelter, food, clothing and social services to an estimated population of about 5 000 people in the greater Cape Town including an estimated 700 people in the city centre.
“It is gratifying that we were able to collect substantially more funds than the previous year. I am wishing that within a short period this year we will be able to reach the R100 000 mark and eventually far exceed that target with the increasing need at this time,” says Eddy.
The NGOs that benefit are Khulisa Social Solutions, Straatwerk, The Hope Exchange, Ons Plek, Youth Solutions Africa and The Homestead.
Activations to promote the 2019 Show You Care campaign took place at the Earth Fair market in St Georges Mall.
A MEANINGFUL CONTRIBUTION
Jesse Laitenan, Strategic Partnership manager for Khulisa Social Solutions which focuses on work-based rehabilitation through its Streetscapes programme, says the donations are more than just financial. “Because Streetscapes is not a handout but a hand-up, sharing of the resources is like a gift that keeps on giving. It’s not sharing of riches, it’s the revealing and unlocking riches each of our beneficiaries has inside of them. And that is what makes it more sustainable and meaningful.”
Paul Hooper, director for The Homestead, which deals with neglected and abused children, says they remain “most grateful to the people of Cape Town who continue to support the most vulnerable of our community”. “Thanks to your empathy, generosity and support, we can continue to ensure that the street is no place for any child.”
Ons Plek’s Pam Jackson says she’s appreciative of the donation as since Covid-19 and the lockdown, her organisation which assists vulnerable girls now “lives from day to day”. “Donations were good in the first few weeks, but people are poorer now, the needs are bigger everywhere,” she explains.
Hannes van der Merwe, CEO of Straatwerk Ophelp Projekte, says his organisation is grateful for the appliances as “the complications involved to ensure that all our members wear clean and hygienic face masks are now greatly reduced by this donation”.
Social work manager at The Hope Exchange, Charity Pote, shares the same sentiments saying: “These appliances will help improve hygiene and minimise the risk of infectious diseases such as Covid-19 and TB.” This was echoed by Youth Solutions Africa director, John Philmon, who says: “This will be of great help to the clients in our shelter in terms of keeping their clothes and bedding clean during the challenge with Covid-19.”
Members of the CCID Social Development team pitched in at the activations to help promote the campaign. From left to right: Mark Williams (CCID field worker), Liansky Grey (student), Shanien Rich (CCID social worker) and Tatenda Mucharunga (CCID social worker).
WINTER READINESS
The Show You Care initiative also highlights the CCID Social Development department’s work in easing the plight of the homeless during Cape Town’s harsh winter season and complements the roll-out of the department’s Winter Readiness Campaign during which the following were donated to our partner NGOs and to homeless clients on the streets:
- Food to the value of R8 031 for a feeding scheme at YSA during Lockdown Level 5 and approximately 11 000 meals to people living on the streets from 26 March until 15 June 2020
- 3 200 packets of soups and noodles for clients
- Additional winter readiness bed space at YSA for three months for 25 people and providing food worth R30 000. The project cost is R50 000. Throughout the year, the CCID subsidises 18 beds at the facility.
- 2 190 care bags
- 2 000 pairs of gloves, 27 woollen blankets, 2 500 masks, 25 raincoats & 30 shelter suits
- 104 pairs of male and female shoes
- 7 25-litre containers of antibacterial soap and 7 25-litre containers of 70 % alcohol hand sanitiser plus 2 25-litre containers of Herbon non-chemical sanitiser
- 1 000 bars of soap & 300 face cloths to the City’s new Safe Space under the Culemborg bridge
- 2 infrared thermometers to two NGO partners
- 20 family food parcels, worth R500 each, for clients living at home
- 8 boxes of sanitary pads, containing 48 packets of eight pads, valued at R3 000
CCID campaign co-ordinator Aziza Patandin helped to promote the campaign at activations in St Georges Mall.
THE 2020 CAMPAIGN
This year, with the theme “Hope for the Homeless”, the campaign will once again be run on social media following the success of last year’s drive. The focus is on collecting money via SnapScan, EFT, SMS and PayPal as well as collecting food, clothes through Hope for the Homeless branded donation bins placed on the premises of some Central City businesses.
Eddy says she’s confident the target of R100 000 will be reached. “There are so many positive stories of humanities responses to vulnerable groups during this difficult time and I am confident that our campaign will also receive the necessary support to further assist this group during a time of need”
Those who would like to donate to the “Show you care campaign via SnapScan can use this link: https://pos.snapscan.io/qr/STB0F588. Donations of R10 can also be made by SMSing “give” to 38088. Those who prefer to make an EFT payment can visit www.showyoucare.co.za for banking details and terms and conditions for all donations received. Donations can also be made via PayPal (https://paypal.me/CCIDShowYouCare).
IMAGES: CCID