Homeless group at shelter refuses to be locked down

A group of homeless residents being housed at the Ebhareni Community Hall in Bhekuzulu, are accused of defying the lockdown.
According to a report provided by the Department of Social Development (DSD) during the Joint Operation Committee (JOC) meeting last week, the 15 homeless people sheltered at the hall were not adhering to the regulations of the 21-day lockdown. “They get three meals a day, but every day they eat breakfast and leave the hall, and come back to eat lunch then leave again, only to come back for dinner and sleep. Every day since the lockdown, this is what they do. They have even started stealing from each other; the very same blankets they all received. They say they cannot sit there all day doing nothing; they need to go out and make money from pushing trolley and others so they can get their ‘daily fix’,” reported DSD officials. DSD fears this has defeated the purpose of keeping the homeless off the streets, but said the department was looking at other ways to curb the problem.

Also read: Officials have had their hands full during lockdown

Another challenge raised during the JOC meeting was that the community hall where the homeless are being housed was not in a good condition, and a request was put forward to AbaQulusi Municipality to consider another community hall they could use instead.
Additional intervention by DSD includes a detox plan, or to send the homeless to rehabilitation centres. The department clarified that the offer to be sent for rehabilitation was purely voluntary, and those unwilling to undergo an intervention programme would not be forced to. The Department of Health and DSD have been tasked with compiling an urgent action plan.
The JOC added that this action plan needed to include the Department of Justice, so that homeless residents refusing to obey the lockdown could face repercussions in terms of the law.

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