Outreach programme held to aid homeless members at Centurion taxi rank
The outreach saw 225 homeless people benefit with basic needs such as ID's, food parcels and health services.
More than 200 homeless people benefited from an outreach programme at the Centurion taxi rank on recently which aimed to assist these individuals and bring essential services closer to them.
The Gauteng Department of Social Development (DSD) organised the initiative on March 26 in collaboration with various stakeholders.
The department collaborated with non-profit organisations and Home Affairs to provide services to homeless people, such as re-issuing of ID books and informing them of shelters.
DSD spokesperson Themba Gadebe said the goal was to inform individuals about the services offered by the DSD and other government departments.
Gadebe emphasised that they wanted to reach out to homeless people and encourage them to choose admission to homeless shelters funded by the DSD.
“They would have access to accommodation, provision of meals, social work services, enrolment in skills development programmes, assistance with job applications, job placements, and aftercare services,” he said.
He added that the homeless individuals have applied for IDs to receive access to social housing and admission to homeless shelters.
“The initiative also aimed to provide them with support for their transition out of homelessness,” he said.
Councillor for Ward 78 Peter Sutton highlighted the aim to relocate homeless individuals in the area to the open land next to the taxi rank to unlock development opportunities.
“This specific event was not organised by me, but I am involved in other aspects to see homeless people relocated at the taxi rank,” he said.
Sutton expressed concern about discussing partnerships and collaborations with the DSD to ensure the success and sustainability of the outreach and service accessibility initiatives.
He emphasised the importance of not treating such events as box-ticking exercises and the need for a proper follow-up strategy or plan.
“I am focused on economic development opportunities that will ultimately create jobs and employment to reduce homelessness,” he said.
Sutton said he was also focused on dealing with substance abuse in the area.
Meals and food parcels were provided to the homeless individuals and mothers with children.
The outreach saw 225 homeless people benefit from the services provided.
Gadebe outlined the department’s plans, which include the continuous collaboration of stakeholders and implementing homeless mobile services to provide showers and ablution facilities.
He added that it was important to strengthen outreach campaigns in various hotspots to inform homeless people about available services.
Also read: Police address plague of robberies in Jukulyn
Gadebe said noteworthy success stories emerging from the outreach programme included the following:
– 25 homeless people applied for IDs from Home Affairs.
– 40 food parcels (vegetables) were provided to homeless mothers with children by NGO, Basadi ba Moshito, in partnership with SAPS Lyttleton.
– 15 people approached the Department of Health to receive individual information on mental health.
– The Services to Families Programme officials from DSD attended to10 people on the available services.
– Tshwane’s Multisectoral Aids Unit (MSAU) provided information on HIV/Aids and issued condoms to the homeless.
– 225 homeless people received a presentation from Tshwane’s Human Settlements Administration on how to access social housing.
Also read: Scholar transport operators warned to prioritise safety in new term
Do you have more information about the story?
Please send us an email to bennittb@rekord.co.za or phone us on 083 625 4114.
For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites: Rekord East
For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram
