Grace House restructuring, not closing down
Grace House Community centre is not closing down, they are just restructuring.
For the past few months, the Grace House Community Centre has been going through a rough time.
This community centre provides overnight shelter for close to 120 homeless residents and includes dinner, a shower, a bed and porridge for a donation of R20 per person per night. The centre is one of Kia Kaha Ministries’ projects and is financially carried by the ministry. They take in the elderly, families, single adults, youth, children, mentally ill people and parolees who have nowhere else to go.
Recently, rumours began circulating that Grace House might be closing down and the almost 120 people living there would have to find new accommodation by 1 December.
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Desiré Nobrega, the founder of Grace House said that this is not the case, even though the operational costs of the centre come to almost R42 000 per month – and that does not include the food for the residents.
In October, the centre was opened up to external ministries who would like to take over Grace House and continue their work. According to Desiré, they have had offers and it has been decided that a few organisations will be working together to keep the centre open. Restructuring will start early in January 2019.
“We have asked for an extension of our rental contract until February 2019,” she added.
She said that the thought of 120 people having nowhere to go this Christmas has been giving her sleepless nights.
The centre did ask some residents to make other arrangements as long ago as September, however. Desiré said the centre was never meant to provide for families with children – it was mainly for people coming off the street.
They are the only shelter where there is space for families with children, but this facility is meant to be for 90 days only, and some families have lived there for almost a year.
“This is not the right environment for children, and after working with Child Welfare we know we have to do something about that. We asked the families with children to try and find better accommodation.” she added.
They will try their best to accommodate those in need in the times to come, but change at Grace House is inevitable.
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