Homeless are encouraged to reunite with their families
Gauteng MEC for the Social Development Department, Morakane Mosupyoe says reuniting those who were homeless was important as it was the right thing to do.
Homeless people taken in at the Life-Changing Projects shelter in Heatherdale, north of Pretoria, were encouraged to work with social workers to be reunited with their families, where possible.
“At the back of our minds, we should remind ourselves that this is not a permanent home,” Gauteng Social Development MEC Morakane Mosupyoe said.
“Therefore, I urge everyone including the beneficiaries to work tirelessly with our social workers to find solutions to the problems that landed them on the street and, where possible, we encourage people to be reintegrated back into their families.”
She made the remarks at the launch of the park homes for the homeless at the Life-Changing Projects shelter last week.
“While there is an emphasis on people exiting homeless shelters that we are running as the department, we also want to emphasise that for as long as there are persistent socio-economic challenges, homelessness will continue to be a challenge,” she said.
Mosupyoe further said that reuniting those who were homeless was important as it was the right thing to do.
A resident at the shelter Percy Mpholo said his company lost money and he subsequently found himself on the streets when the Covid-19 pandemic started.
The 28-year-old also noted the progress that the department’s contribution at the shelter had made.
“Dignified toilets and hot water for a shower seem like small things until you must eat food we get on the floor on the streets. We are grateful to Life-Changing Projects and the department for its social workers who have helped us heal from the traumas of staying on the streets.
“There is more to us than poverty, homelessness and drugs,” he said.
Mosupyoe also reiterated the importance of a well-functioning integrated system that could respond to the needs of those who were destitute.
The shelter, funded by the social development department and the Tshwane metro as a stakeholder, started operating in tents at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic and has, thus far, taken care of 500 homeless people who came in at different intervals.
In April 2021, Mosupyoe’s department awarded the shelter funding to procure the park homes.
Some of the achievements which were recorded at the shelter included assisting two beneficiaries who were referred for substance abuse treatment, reuniting 50 beneficiaries with their families, assisting 200 beneficiaries with ID applications so they could apply for Sassa, assisting 197 beneficiaries with the Sassa R350 social relief grant and the placement of 19 beneficiaries in jobs.
Mosupyoe called on members of the community and other stakeholders to get involved in the work they did to assist homeless people to get IDs, skills development, and other interventions to help them get back on their feet.
“Government cannot win the fight against homelessness alone,” she said.
“As social development, we focus on promoting the collaboration of different stakeholders in delivering effective and efficient services to families.
“We also create awareness on the plight of the homeless and encourage members of the public to contribute in the fight against homelessness and educate homeless people about different services offered by various stakeholders,” Mosupyoe concluded.
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