Picnic for homeless

As World Homeless Day was marked on Thursday October 10, Cape Town-based non-profit organisation Souper Troopers gathered at Rocklands Beach in Sea Point to host a beach clean-up and picnic. Started in 2014, Souper Troopers is an organisation that aims to break down the stigma attached to the homeless and organises monthly social events where local homeless people are invited to eat, chat and relax. The organisation’s director, Kerry Hoffman, said many people believed that homelessness was a choice and that homeless people could simply pick themselves up if they wanted to. Ward 54 councillor, Nicola Jowell, who also attended the event said she “valued the opportunity to chat and share stories of life and the challenges on the streets that so many have to endure”.