City opens 300-bed shelter in Ebenezer Road
Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis attended the opening of the City’s new 300-bed Safe Space shelter in Green Point on Monday, July 29.
The shelter is located on a part of the municipal depot site in Ebenezer Road.
It is the fifth Safe Space developed by the City, bringing the total number of beds to 1070 across five facilities in the CBD, Bellville, and Durbanville.
“This brand new dignified transitional shelter will offer social interventions to help people off the streets sustainably, alongside warm beds, meals and ablution facilities,” the City said in a press release.
Showen Loeks, 64, shared his experience of living in Safe Spaces from 2020 until April this year when he moved into his own flat in Goodwood.
“I went from one Safe Space to another, I made use of the programmes they presented to us and I did jobs like street cleaning and gardening. I worked for the department of disaster management,” Mr Loeks said.
“For me it was not the best place to live in, but I had to ask myself, is it better here or on the streets. They (Safe Space) offer opportunities and I made use of it. This new facility is impressive and it’s a new opportunity for those who want it, but my advice to those who will use it is to not treat it as a revolving door, set goals for yourself and try to move through the system as quick as you can.”
Piet Mangana, 32, has been living in Delft since May with his partner and two-month-old baby.
“I was in Safe Spaces since 2019 and I was on the streets. It was not easy on the streets. Now I’m working as a cleaner at Safe Space one and I had to rebuild myself, I had to work and stay out of trouble. I’m renting a place now with my family and we are happy. The people from the shelter helped me to live a normal life, if I can say that, they helped me to get a job and to live a good life,” Mr Mangana said.
According to Mayor Hill-Lewis, the latest census says there are 9500 homeless people in the city, and their primary goal is to reintegrate them into society.
“The key thing we are looking into is reintegration, you’ve heard of the success stories (Showen and Piet). Some people enter the Safe Space and rely on it for an extended time. That makes it less sustainable because we can’t use the facilities and staff resources for other people that need it. So the key thing we are looking at is the success of getting people through a personal development programme and to reintegrate,” he said.
