‘Where is the church in Mogale City?’
On this day, approximately 30 people, including pastors, charity organisation representatives and interested parties attended the meeting.
On Tuesday, 26 September, Melodie van Brakel and Gert Jonker, founders of Tower of Life Shelter hosted an urgent meeting to discuss the overall homelessness issue currently facing Mogale City.
This followed after 12 women from the shelter were forced by circumstances beyond their control to sleep on the streets from Thursday, 14 September. Melodie said this unfortunate situation necessitated the meeting.
Read also: Tower of Life women in need of new shelter
Even though they were able to accommodate three women at the Cradle of Hope, and a few at Grace House Community Centre at a later stage, there are still three women on the streets who were not able to find any alternative accommodation.
“A lot of these women have mental disabilities, and that’s why we can’t accommodate them at the Cradle of Hope. That’s what people need to understand – that mental disabilities are a real thing for these people,” Said Melodie.
Read also: Women fro local shelter spend night on street
Approximately 30 people, including pastors, charity organisation representatives and interested parties attended the meeting.
“Our aim is to join hands with churches, city council, organisations and the business sector to find solutions to the terrifying homelessness problem this town is currently facing,” she said.
During the meeting, both Melodie and Gert said that the path to homelessness isn’t necessarily the homeless person’s fault.
“Sometimes, life happens. A person can lose his or her entire family in a car accident, for example, and when the heartache becomes too much, it becomes more difficult for them to cope. Eventually they become mentally challenged and lose everything,” she said.
“The point is that not all of them are as bad as some people make them out to be, and that’s why we need to find an ultimate solution to this problem.”
Even though they were unable to find potential solutions to this issue, Melodie and Gert believe the meeting was a good one, as it still managed to get the urgency of the matter across to those who may be able to help.
They are still in the process of trying to find a church building for the women and continue to ask where the church in Mogale City is. Their ultimate aim remains that of assisting as many homeless people as possible with the community’s help, thus ensuring a better future for these persons.
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