Centre launches mobile laundry services for homeless
Thandanani Drop Inn Centre launches its mobile laundry service for the homeless to celebrate World Homeless Day.
A local organisation that takes care of the homeless recently celebrated World Homeless Day by doing laundry for homeless people at Mamelodi hostels.
Kate Kekana of Thandanani Drop Inn Centre said the centre celebrated the day by launching its mobile laundry services for the homeless.
“We brought two washing machines, a generator, bath tubs, buckets, washing soap to the old Mamelodi hostels in Block Y and washed clothes and blankets for the homeless.”
Ten volunteers from the centre operated the washing machines from 08:00 to 16:00 on October 10.
Kekana said the laundry service had been available at the centre for a couple of years and showers, bathrooms as well as laundry rooms were also available.
“We officially launched the mobile laundry service to take the service to the homeless,” she said.
“We went to one of our identified hotspots for the homeless, the day was well spent as we hosted a Braai Day for the homeless and brought music for entertainment,” she said.
She said the centre deals with the homeless as well as drugs addicts as its core programmes is funded by the Department of Social Development.
“We assist the homeless and drugs addicts with psycho-social needs whereby we provide meals for them, assist with family reunification, we offer referrals to rehabilitation centres as well as help them apply for IDs and social grants,” she said.
She said the goal was but to get the homeless to understand that the centre is here for them and cares for them by connecting them to service providers and helping them to apply for unemployment social grants.
The centre is currently negotiating a lease agreement with Tshwane metro to use the park house as shelter for the homeless.
She said the homeless were happy as they brought more clothes for washing “but time was not on our side so we are planning more laundry days”.
The next mobile laundry days will be at Mamelodi hostel near Muckleneuk sports ground on Friday and at Mabeshane in Mamelodi East next week.
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