Housing crisis: These provinces don’t have homeless shelters

Three South African provinces have no homeless shelters, leaving thousands of vulnerable people exposed to deadly winter conditions as the country grapples with a homelessness crisis affecting 55 719 individuals, according to Statistics South Africa (StatsSA).

The Free State, Limpopo, and Eastern Cape provinces operate without any homeless shelters, Social Development Minister Nokuzola Tolashe revealed in a parliamentary response to Al Jama-ah’s Advocate Shameemah Salie.

This leaves homeless individuals in these regions completely exposed during the harsh winter months, when temperatures plummet and hypothermia becomes a deadly threat.

StatsSA’s Profile of Homeless Persons report, released on Wednesday based on 2022 Census data, shows that 70.8% of homeless people are “roofless” — living on the streets rather than in shelters.

The crisis is particularly acute as homelessness has increased dramatically from 13 135 people in 1996 to 55 719 in 2022, outpacing South Africa’s overall population growth.

Recently, the Democratic Alliance reported that it estimates current homelessness numbers stand at 50 000, with particular concentrations of 1 500 homeless people in Gauteng, Kempton Park’s central business district and 10 000 in Tshwane.

Several activists and coordinators at non-profit organisations in Johannesburg report a marked increase in homeless people requiring basic assistance during winter, with food being the greatest need.

Deadly winter conditions affecting homeless people

The winter months pose severe risks to homeless populations, with humanitarian organisations reporting increased deaths from hypothermia and cold-related illnesses.

Ali Sablay from Gift of the Givers, who previously spoke to The Citizen, described the urgent situation: “One of the biggest concerns is the homeless people at the moment who are exposed and are vulnerable to this cold weather. And we are very scared that if they are not put in a place of safety, we are going to be seeing an increase in the amount of people that have passed on.”

The organisation has been responding to emergency calls across multiple district municipalities as “excessive rain, snow and winds have caused total destruction” in the Eastern Cape, with close to a thousand people evacuated from Butterworth alone.

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Homelessness provincial disparities create crisis

The lack of shelter facilities reveals stark provincial inequalities in addressing homelessness.

According to StatsSA data, Gauteng records the biggest share of homeless persons at 46%, followed by Western Cape at 18%.

Yet only three provinces – Gauteng, Western Cape and Mpumalanga – operate any shelters at all, with the majority run by non-profit organisations and subsidised by government.

Tolashe acknowledged in her parliamentary response that “the department does not have the human resource capacity, financial resources or infrastructure to manage all homeless shelters,” relying heavily on non-profit organisations as critical partners in service delivery.

In Gauteng, the provincial Department of Social Development is collaborating with the Department of Infrastructure Development and municipalities to “identify and repurpose unused buildings and vacant land to accommodate homeless people, focusing mainly in the Central Business Districts.”

The Western Cape funds 38 homeless shelters across the province, though this excludes facilities operated by local municipalities. Despite the demand, the province has announced no plans to increase shelter numbers due to budget constraints.

Mpumalanga faces even greater challenges, with “no budget available in the province to establish and fund homelessness shelters.”

The province has allocated only R482,337 for a single shelter for destitute families in the Lekwa sub-district municipality.

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Overwhelming demand at existing homeless shelters

The few existing shelters are struggling to cope with demand during winter months. Reverend Nico from Methodist Educational Services (MES) described how their facilities regularly exceed capacity: “Our capacity is almost 80, but now when it’s cold like this, we go above 110, the building can take up to 120.”

The organisation operates three facilities in Hillbrow, with their soup kitchen serving over 100 people daily during extreme cold weather.

“Sometimes we’re not even expecting that number. But when they rock in, we can’t just say no, we must share,” the reverend explained.

The resource constraints are severe, with facilities lacking adequate blankets and mattresses. “Sometimes you don’t even have enough blankets, but at least they’ll be having a roof over their head,” Reverend Nico said.

Chris Lund from the Johannesburg Homeless Network said their organisation has been able to feed “up to 200 people a day” at their drop-in centres, but acknowledges the massive gap between capacity and need.

He noted that safe spaces typically accommodate only “40 [or] 50 people” while thousands remain on the streets.

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Beyond basic survival

The challenges extend beyond providing overnight accommodation.

Many homeless individuals lack access to basic hygiene facilities, making it difficult to maintain employment or seek work opportunities.

Lund highlighted this reality: “A lot of these guys, can you imagine getting up when it’s cold and freezing, you need to prepare yourself to get a job or to at least go and find work, and there’s no hot water. It’s freezing.”

Skills development efforts amid constraints

Despite resource limitations, organisations are attempting to provide skills development programmes within homeless shelters.

Tolashe outlined various initiatives including “hairdressing, bead work, shoe repair, appliance repairs and mechanical skills” designed to help individuals “gain employment, generate income to break the cycle of poverty and be able to lead an independent life.”

However, Tolashe acknowledged the limitations of these efforts, noting that “empowering individuals with skills does not guarantee employment given the current high rate of unemployment in the country. It, however, put them in an advantageous position.”

The Johannesburg Homeless Network, which only began receiving government funding in January this year, now employs “fully qualified social workers” and provides support for CV writing and career guidance.

Lund stressed the importance of professional services.

Demographics and root causes of homelessness

StatsSA data reveals that homeless persons are predominantly male (70.1%), with youth and adults representing 44% and 45% respectively. Children and the elderly constitute smaller proportions at 5% and 7% respectively.

The causes of homelessness vary significantly across provinces. In the Eastern Cape, an overwhelming 85.2% cited economic reasons as the main cause, followed by Free State at 79.4% and KwaZulu-Natal at 69.3%.

Family matters, including disputes, death and dissolution, also play significant roles, while substance abuse affects different provinces to varying degrees.

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Government response and systemic challenges

The Department of Social Development acknowledges that homelessness is “a cross-cutting issue that requires all relevant departments.”

Tolashe emphasised that the department’s primary role is to “provide psychosocial support and reunify and reintegrate the homeless people with their families.”

The minister’s 2024 budget speech focused on “Reigniting the Role of the Family,” arguing that homelessness indicates “the family as a unit is in crisis and needs support.”

The department commits to implementing interventions supporting family units, believing this approach will address homelessness at its root.

However, Tolashe revealed an apparent contradiction in government policy, stating: “Ideally, there is a need to reduce shelters for the homeless in the country.”

This approach emphasises family reunification over emergency accommodation, even as winter conditions threaten lives.

Lund expressed frustration with the gap between political promises and action: “We hear the politicians, particularly at the provincial level, saying that this is a priority, but it doesn’t always feel like it. [They don’t] follow through with funding.”

Urgent call for action

As winter conditions intensify, the absence of shelters in three provinces represents a critical gap in South Africa’s social safety net.

StatsSA research indicates that chronic homelessness creates significant costs for government and private institutions through increased use of health services, policing and the criminal justice system.

Gift of the Givers continues emergency response efforts, providing “hot meals, blankets, warm clothing and sleeping mats” to affected communities.

The organisation has established a toll-free number (0800 786 911) for donations and assistance.

The convergence of rising homelessness numbers, inadequate shelter provision, and deadly winter conditions creates an urgent humanitarian crisis that StatsSA researchers note is complicated by “lack of reliable statistics, inadequate policies and interventions, limited resources, and lack of standardised definitions.”

With 70.8% of homeless individuals living on the streets without shelter access, the coming winter months threaten to claim lives that adequate shelter provision could save.

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