The National Homeless Network called on the government to take the plight of the homeless seriously during a conference held in Johannesburg. Picture supplied
Durban — The National Homeless Network called on the government to take the plight of the homeless seriously during a conference in Johannesburg recently.
The network was vocal on issues that homeless people face on a daily basis. The conference had 170 participants, including more than 60 people who were homeless at one stage.
The network said the period of Covid lockdown restrictions made things very hard for people who lived on the streets.
The network discussed methods in which municipalities from different areas can make efforts to keep homeless people safe and help some reunite with their families.
Raymond Perrier, the organisation’s director in Durban, said Covid showed them how much could be achieved in places where government, businesses, local residents, NGOs and faith-based organisations worked with homeless people to identify and respond to tangible problems.
“But even if the Covid crisis is over, the homeless crisis certainly is not.
“Moreover, since homelessness is often caused by lack of access to work, Covid and the subsequent economic downturn has actually resulted in almost every metro area seeing an increase in the number of homeless people, perhaps as much as 30%.
“The network, sharing experiences from around the country, is aware of huge inconsistencies in the response to homelessness between different municipalities and different provinces. This is to be regretted, but also provides a clear indication of what is possible and what standards could be set for every tier of government.”
The organisation wants every municipality facing a problem with homelessness to develop a municipal policy, following the positive lead of Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban and Tshwane National Homeless Network, which called for a consistent government response to homelessness.
They want each to create a task team that brings together local NGOs and government departments, “following the positive example of Johannesburg, Tshwane, Ekurhuleni and Durban”, and every province to develop a provincial policy.
They also want the national government to follow through on the promise from the Office of the President to develop a national policy.
“Policies should be developed in close collaboration with experts and with homeless people themselves,” Perrier concluded.
Daily News
Related Topics: