On Tuesday, the Gauteng Social Development MEC Morakane Mosupyoe officially opened a shelter for homeless people in Vanderbijlpark, Sedibeng. The Suid Afrikaanse Vrou Ferderasie (SAVF) shelter was established 25 years ago. The facility has been a refuge to a number of families who are homeless.
It has been the only shelter catering for the homeless people in Emfuleni Local Municipality. The home will be able to accommodate 60 men and women including families who found themselves on the street. The shelter has already given homes to over hundred and fifty-six (156) homeless people since the beginning of 2020/2021 financial year when Covid-19 pandemic hit the entire world and left many people’s lives destroyed.

The project to house the homeless has restored hope in them. It has also provided some of beneficiaries with computer skills that will ensure that they become self-reliant after exiting the shelter. Through the partnership between the Department and shelter 35 beneficiaries have been reunited with their families and fifty-eight of them have since found employment.
Speaking to beneficiaries and key stakeholders, MEC Morakane Mosupyoe reiterated that indeed persistent socio-economic challenges will always remain a tough task for homelessness.

The MEC emphasized that all shelters must be linked with skills development programmes so that beneficiaries are capacitated with skills of their choice.

“We have five centres of excellence as Social Development and we will link you with them for those who are interested in being developed or upskilled. Such interventions include treatment for substance abuse, provision of health and mental health services, skills development to facilitate job creation, shelter and housing, and reintegration,” added Mosupyoe.

“Today, as we launch these park homes, as Social Development we are thankful to all stakeholders that have played a part in ensuring this is possible. Ending homelessness can only be attained through a multi-stakeholder approach, in which communities, civil society organisations, government agencies and private sector work together to implement systematic responses that will help prevent recurring homelessness,” Mosupyoe concluded.
One beneficiary, Willie Crowley (72) who has been in the centre since 1998 thanked the government for providing a shelter for homeless people.

“It gives us hope as beneficiaries of the Department’s programmes when we arrive at the shelters that there is still people who believe in us because you all know that when we arrive into this centres, we come here broken, but you manage to take us in and give us life again”, said Crowley.