Surge in homeless population raises safety concerns in Edenvale

The recent increase in the number of new homeless persons in and around Edenvale has once again sparked concerns.

According to Ward 18 Ald Heather Hart, the town has been inundated by a new wave of homeless individuals and recyclers.

She said the new faces are attracted to the town’s access to drugs and the lack of willingness by stakeholders to address the homelessness situation.

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“Residents feel afraid to be in their town.

“They feel scared to be in certain areas such as Eastleigh, Main Road, Fountain Road, Homestead Road and Van Riebeeck Avenue. It seems the recent influx of homeless individuals is taking over parts of Edenvale,” said Hart.

She said she has received reports from community members of homeless persons setting up camps in residential areas and defecating near residential properties.

Hart called on provincial and local stakeholders to step in and work together to help address this issue.

“Local councillors, ward committees and the community police forum all face the same challenges and have exhausted ourselves trying to address the matter,” said Hart.

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She said that she has reached out to the Gauteng Department of Social Development and raised questions regarding what is being done about the homeless in Edenvale and Ekurhuleni; however, there has been a limited response.

Hart said, although it is not the responsibility of the City of Ekurhuleni, Edenvale’s stakeholders have been working in partnership with the city’s social worker to profile the homeless individuals in the area in an effort to create a database.

“The biggest challenge is that many of the homeless move around or they don’t want to be profiled,” said Hart.

Hart said the social worker has other responsibilities and works with schools, early childhood development centres and local drug action committees.

“The plight of the genuine homeless person who wants to get better is taken seriously; however, in most cases, these are few and far between.”

She said that with the increase in homeless persons, an updated database is needed.

“We need to have an assessment day with all stakeholders involved, including DSD, the Department of Health and Home Affairs,” said Hart.

A request for comment was sent to the Gauteng Department of Social Development and EMPD on March 20, requesting comment by March 23 at 09:00.

At the time of going to print, no comment was received.