Homeless struggle surges on

JOHANNESBURG – Entering the year 2014 with high hopes, plans and New Year’s resolutions is not something the homeless bother with. Although they would love to live like everyone else, their minds are occupied with survival.

A young man was found sleeping in the middle of a street at 08:30 in Johannesburg, while commuters and street vendors jumped over him.

One adult and a minor where found removing copper from a broken computer monitor before taking it to a nearby scrap yard to exchange for cash. The two spent most of their days helping motorists park their cars or helping people carry their heavy bags to the taxis.

Most of the homeless adults and minors stay in groups in Johannesburg, corner of De Villiers and Banket streets.

However, it is not necessary for the homeless children to remain homeless. There are many homes and organisations that take in these children and provide them with shelter, food and security.

The Alberton Child Welfare, a children’s home that helps children who were previously homeless or abused houses around 20 children and help them to get education, clothes, food and security.

They receive complaints from schools, the police or social workers before they take in the children

with a court order, should it become clear that the children were neglected or abused.

About the children living in the streets, Elmarie Kennedy from the Alberton Child Welfare said: “They can’t just take the children from the streets; they need a court order to do so.

“Moreover, many of these homes do not have enough funds to take in all the street children. It is very expensive to provide clothes, education and counselling for these children.”

She also added that The Department of Education and Social Development do not have enough finances; and there are no bridging schools for children who may have been out of school for a number of years and not enough therapeutic treatment for children between the ages of eight and

18.