Hopes to keep Centurion shelter open, permanently
We just want to create a haven for people and children from various walks of life.
The management team behind a temporary Covid-19 homeless shelter at the community hall in Lyttelton was hoping they could keep it open permanently.
“Once the government lifts the current state of disaster we’d be back on the streets,” said Centurion Haven of Hope co-founder Tebogo Mpufane.
“But we’re engaging with churches and members of the community to keep it open.”
Other founders of the organisations were Shanon Craddock, Suzette Strydom and Kerry Rohrer.
Despite the uncertainty, Mpufane said there was some hope after the Gauteng government recently said that shelters such as this one would remain operational until there was an “alternative”.
“The social development MEC was here and said that no one, from all the shelters, would be out in the streets until there was an alternative.”
MEC Nomathemba Mokgethi’s office could, however, not be reached for comment.
In April, Tshwane metro spokesperson Lindela Mashigo said government – across all spheres – was “toying” with the idea of looking for permanent accommodation for all the homeless people who were being housed in temporary Covid shelters.
At the time, about 2 500 homeless people were being housed in temporary shelters across Pretoria.
Mashigo also acknowledged that the metro, at the time, was also not prepared to deal with the homeless people before the lockdown came into effect in March.
“No one could have planned and anticipated this. It was a first – not only for the metro, but the whole country,” he said, adding that they had, however, “done well”.
“We have done exceptionally well under the circumstances, challenges notwithstanding. There was trial and error and we learned valuable lessons in the process,” Mashigo said.
Mpufane said their shelter was currently housing a total of 67 men, as opposed to an initial amount of 47.
The 20 other men were moved to the shelter after the Heuweloord shelter was closed down.
Among them, he said, were 35 who were now recovering substance abusers and three others started with further education and training (FET) schooling after engagements with the social development MEC.
“We just want to create a haven for people and children from various walks of life,” Mpufane said.
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