A place of refuge for the destitute in Newlands

NEWLANDS– Place of Refuge 911 provides shelter to adults between the ages of 35 to 55 as well as families.

June 21, 2017

Naledi Mokoena 1 minute read

Residents Rina Fourie, Sally-Ann Jackson and Veronica Smith stand in front of a comforter that they made.

Place of Refuge 911 is an organisation which opens its arms and hearts to people who have no place to call home.

The non-profit organisation in Newlands is a shelter which offers people a second chance in life.

Place of Refuge 911 manager Loekie van As and Pastor Johan van der Merwe stand in front of a donation from a popular supermarket.

Pastor Johan van der Merwe said people contact them for a place to stay and they ask them to come to their organisation for an interview.

“We take in families including adults from the ages of 35 to 55 years old; reason being it’s difficult to take care of the elderly when they reach a particular age,” he explained.

“When people come here we work with them to build their self-esteem through teaching them skills that they can use to find employment. For the first two to three months we help get residents on their feet until they are able to find employment. People also have access to counselling and to our church on the premises, called Kadima.”

He added that people are required to fill in an application form, which the Sophiatown police process before they are accepted as residents.

Shayne Coleman, Caroline van der Merwe and William van der Merwe offer their help at the charity store.

The shelter is self-funded, depends solely on donations from other organisations and other residents who assist in providing for 120 residents. Place of Refuge also collects donations and encourages all residents to contact them if they have any items they would like to donate.

Residents keep the shelter’s premises looking lovely by working as groundsmen.

Place of Refuge 911 is a safe haven for 120 residents.

Place of Refuge 911 manager, Loekie van As said the organisation was established in 1994. Their main sponsor for food is a popular supermarket, and residents also host fundraisers. They also receive donations from small companies.

“Our other sources of income are our tuckshop, créche and charity store that is also open to the public. We also host fêtes twice a year which also raise funds,” said Van As.