Cape Town – R450 000 will be made available to seven organisations that will be taking part in the winter readiness campaign for street people this year, The City of Cape have said in a statement.
“The City’s EPWP aims to help facilitate and create employment opportunities for those residents who are in need of financial relief. At the same time, it facilitates the development of practical work experience and in this instance, it will alleviate the load at night shelters,” said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security; and Social Services, Alderman JP Smith.
The initiative is part of the City of Cape Town’s Social Development Directorate and includes the provision of an additional 115 bed spaces and 40 Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) job opportunities.
The City said in the statement that they will disburse aid to seven organisations that have all successfully applied for assistance during winter.
The aid consists of food, blankets, mattresses, toiletries and cleaning materials to help cater for an expected increase in the number of street people seeking shelter during the cold winter months.
“Winter is an especially hard time for people living on the street and often there is an additional burden on the organisations that assist them,” said Smith
“We want to do what we can to help them provide street people with access to warm bedding, food, and toiletries as they cope with an increased demand when temperatures drop. Homeless shelters are essential in ensuring that street people are properly cared for in a safe environment.”
Smith added that although this was just a fraction of what was needed, it’s an example of how the City works with external parties to make a difference in people’s lives.
“This is in line with the Organisational Development and Transformation Plan which focuses on building integrated communities through partnering with non-governmental organisations and businesses,” said Smith, who also commended the many workers and volunteers who gave their time to the city’s homeless shelters.
All the organisations receiving aid have overnight facilities that comply with the relevant health and safety requirements. Each successful applicant also had to agree to a site inspection before final approval was granted.
