There is help for homeless in Boksburg

Aruka Village spelt out its plans for the homeless people and also shared a few initiatives for the community to help make a positive contribution to the city’s rough sleeping community amidst the approaching freezing winter weather.

This comes after the Boksburg Advertiser recently published a story about the daily misery of homeless people who shared their daily routine, highlighting what it’s really like not to have safe accommodation.
Formerly known as New Beginnings Care Centre, the Boksburg CBD-based Aruka Village has for years been assisting destitute people by offering safe accommodation and helping its residents to develop the abilities and experience needed to stand on their own two feet.

The centre pointed out that winter is always challenging for the homeless in the city, and that the facility sees an increase in the number of people, particularly people with children, seeking shelter and care.

According to Jean-Paul Goris, New Beginnings Foundation CEO, Aruka Village’s immediate intervention in the humiliation, suffering and inhumane treatment the homeless endure during the winter will include the provision of warm clothing and pop-up soup kitchens.

Soup and bread will be provided at least four days a week at feeding schemes in Boksburg and Brakpan.
Cooked meals will be provided at least once a week and management is finalising donors and community assistance to collect 1 500 blankets for those who attend the feeding schemes. The feeding schemes will also serve as distribution points.

Get onboard
With the aim of getting more people to be part of the solution to help restore the dignity of the homeless, Goris encouraged both the public and private sectors (including businesses and government institutions) to lend a helping hand.

Here is how you can help:
• Donations of blankets and clothing to organisations like Aruka for distribution to those who are in desperate need.
• Funding drive towards the feeding scheme in communities.
• Drive to provide medical assistance and dental services to those who are homeless.
• Drive to help rehabilitate those who are abusing substances.
• Creating more awareness of the plight of the homeless.

Eviction
In a separate issue, the Advertiser recently received reports suggesting that Aruka often evicts residents who are deemed to be disobedient, particularly addicts, instead of offering them support to change their behaviour.

Responding to this issue, Goris said: “Our intake process for those who wish to enter our programme stipulates that the prospective individual must have some form of identification and will be subjected to a drug test.”

“This is necessary for the protection of the minor children in our facility as stipulated in the Children Act 38 of 2005 which requires an inspection from time to time to ensure the safety and well-being of these minor children who are in the care of the parents but part of our program.

“We are unfortunately not a rehabilitation facility for substance abuse victims, but we do refer those who do approach us to SANCA.”

Goris pointed out that asking ‘problematic residents’ to vacate the facility is the last resort following a process of assistance and intervention.

“Asking a person to leave the programme would be a last option following continued use of drugs and alcohol. This will also be after an intervention process has been put in place, continued violent behaviour towards other residents and continued breaking of rules and regulations.”

Relaunched
The recent relaunch of the centre saw management taking the decision to scale down the number of people who can be accommodated at the facility from the full capacity of about 1000 to a maximum of 250 people.

Goris said the reason for this decision was to provide qualitative as opposed to quantitative care.
“We have in the past had over 850 people in the facility, which was not sustainable financially and also created environmental issues.
“We have at any given time between 200 and 250 people.

“I have been involved at New Beginnings Care Centre, now Aruka Village, for 14 years and I must point out that the new intake process and the qualitative care approach is yielding more positive results than has been the case in the past.

“We are, as with all NGO/PBOs, restricted by funding and resources as to our capacity to assist those in need.

“However, we are currently providing between 50 000 to 60 000 meals per month through our care centre facility, feeding schemes, and NPO support facilities, and when taking this into account I believe that we are making a difference to our community.”

Addressing homelessness requires a holistic approach

The Ekurhuleni Homeless Forum has devised some measures aimed at urgently reaching out to the homeless people and protecting them against the cold weather ahead.

Andrew Wessels, the forum’s steering committee member, described the plight of the homeless as a situation that is complex and stems from various factors, including poverty, unemployment, substance abuse, mental health problems and the lack of affordable housing.

As part of the devised plans, the forum has recommended that government makes its empty buildings available to the homeless forum, which can then allocate the resources to get the homeless under the roof before winter.

The forum is also planning a major outreach in all major centres across Ekurhuleni before the end of May and needs all the relevant stakeholders, including NGOs, government and businesses on board.

Also Read: Freedom on the streets better than a shelter say homeless

“We need 3 000 sleeping bags, 3 000 blankets and 3 000 flasks that can be filled with warm soup at soup kitchens. I am sure there are used sleeping bags at our army depots and blankets at government training centres, and other facilities that can be redeployed to the homeless,” appealed Wessels.

Organisations and individuals are called upon to support the initiative, such as providing warm clothing. They can contact the forum to arrange for the collection of goods and volunteers.

Responding to questions about how shelters should deal with addicts, Wessels said the newly established forum will form drop-in centres to assess the homeless and do the necessary referrals upfront.

“If rehabilitation is required, the persons will be referred to rehab first and then placed in a shelter where arrangements will be made to develop their skills before initiating the exit strategy. The first prize is always family reunification.”

Wessels said drug abuse is the number one factor contributing to homelessness, followed by mental health, which is tied to the abuse of substances.

Also Read: WATCH: Homeless talk about life on the streets of Boksburg

   
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