Dan Street shelter gets a helping hand
On Friday, 4 September, the Department of Social Development was joined by the stakeholders that are helping the Dan Street shelter to hand over sanitary packs and food, and allow all the organisations involved in the project to become acquainted.
Homelessness is an ever-present issue, plaguing far too many people. Unfortunately, the coronavirus has only added to the increasing number of people being forced to live on the streets or seek refuge at homeless shelters.
This pandemic is how many of the men living at a shelter at 1 Dan Street in Florida became homeless. The shelter is currently home to 63 men between the ages of 19 and 80, and while they don’t have much, various stakeholders are doing all they can to try to give these men a chance at a better future.
The shelter is owned by the City of Johannesburg, but a lot of what keeps the shelter afloat is donated. Trisha Rajendrakumar (Regional Coordinator for the Migration Sub-unit within the Region C Department of Social Development) has spent a lot of her time at this shelter recently. She has been getting to know the residents and contacting various organisations in the hope that they may become stakeholders that can help improve the lives of these men.
Many of the men in this shelter do not have IDs or valid passports, and without the money to afford the costs, they were unable to find employment. This was one of the many problems that Social Development and the stakeholders involved with the shelter have undertaken to fix. Eleven06 Solutions, a company founded by Desigan Govender, graciously stepped forward to take on any costs that would be involved with getting these men their IDs. After a visit from the Department of Home Affairs Mobile Unit, generous funding from Mr Govender, and someone stepping forward to assist with taking the ID photos, all the men who needed an ID were able to start the process.
On Friday, 4 September, the Department of Social Development was joined by the stakeholders that are helping the Dan Street shelter to hand over sanitary packs and food, and allow all the organisations involved in the project to become acquainted.
Islamic Relief, a charity that works predominantly with migrants and refugees in the hopes of bettering their lives and reducing xenophobia, graciously donated the sanitary packs. While this non-profit organisation (NPO) has never worked in Roodepoort before this project, they are looking forward to spending a lot more time on the West Rand.
Another generous stakeholder in this project to improve the lives of the men at the shelter is the Synergistic Covenant Network, a youth development organisation that provides computer training and entrepreneurship courses to help people in the business world. The organisation has only worked in Davidsonville (where they are based) up until now, but said they would never miss an opportunity to help more people, so when Trisha approached them, they took on the project without hesitation or regrets. “It is amazing to see the mindset of these men and how they are progressing. They were nervous at first, but their motivation is amazing; they just want to learn more so they can go out and contribute to society,” said Vimla Govender, the Synergistic facilitator.
Five of the men at the shelter were once patients of Westview Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation Clinic, and have now been given a second chance through this programme. Anthea Barriel, in-patient manager at the clinic, said that she cannot believe how much these men have turned around their lives and want to change. “People need to realise that the shortfalls that may land someone in a place like Westview are just a chapter in their lives, not the entire book. Everyone deserves a second chance, which is why partnerships like these are so important; they give hope,” she said.
The aim of this project is to empower and restore a sense of dignity and confidence in the homeless. Smira Zwide, a qualified teacher who has been staying at the shelter since May, said he was grateful for the support. “I urge all organisations and businesses to get involved and uplift their communities, especially the youth and most vulnerable,” the 26-year-old added.
Homeless shelters within the City of Joburg include 3 Kotze Street (overnight shelter), Windsor West (soon to be converted into an overnight shelter) and Governor’s House (assessment centre).
For more information you can contact the City’s Displaced Persons Unit on 011 407 7308.
