Winter shoe drive launched to keep homeless warm
The shelter works closely with social workers and various stakeholders to ensure that beneficiaries can reintegrate into society with skills that would equip them to stay off the streets.
Putting the vulnerable first is of top priority for the Life-Changing Project, a homeless shelter for men based in Akasia.
After a lack of sheltering facilities for homeless people and skills development in the Tshwane region were identified, the collaboration between the Department of Social Development and the Life-Changing Ministry saw this need being filled when the shelter was officially opened on March 11.
The shelter can house 200 men. It works closely with social workers and various stakeholders to ensure that beneficiaries can reintegrate into society with skills that would equip them to stay off the streets.
The chairperson of the organisation, Tebogo Sehlwane, had been involved since the inception of the Life-Changing Ministry in 2013.
He said that the men who they take into the shelter are not homeless, “they are rather involved in situations that prevent them from going home”.
She added that the shelter’s main focus is rehabilitation.
“As a society, we tend to think that men are not abused and that they are not allowed to feel even though they can hurt deeply.
“These men have already given up on life. Making them believe that they are worthy after society has written them off is a very hard task.”
Since its inception, the Life-Changing Project’s centre has provided ongoing shelter, skills development and job creation.
Its programmes focus on prevention, early intervention as well as assisting community members with rehabilitation and reintegration.
While the shelter ensures that beneficiaries are looked after, you can help by donating to their winter shoe drive as the beneficiaries are in dire need of shoes to keep warm this winter.
The aim is to collect a thousand pairs of pre-loved shoes that are in good condition or new.
These can be dropped off at 18 Iris, 3rd Avenue Heatherdale, Akasia.
They are open to collect, every Monday to Friday, from 08:00 to 17:00.
For more information on the drive and how you can help the shelter, contact Tebogo Mpufane on 065 275 0681 or tebogompufane@cmorg.co.za.
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