The Windsor West homeless shelter is temporarily closed.
There have been problems with the roof and leaks for several years, which are now being repaired. The job will take about three months to complete.
“While this work is ongoing, the men using the facility have been referred to the Kotze Street shelter in Braamfontein,” said Ward 98 councillor Beverly Jacobs.
The Braamfontein shelter is located at 3 Kotze Street. It offers overnight shelter, ablution facilities, meals, and other services.
Like all shelters, it has strict rules about drug and alcohol abuse and timetables to be adhered to for those it assists.
The 30-bed shelter is one of the precious few available to men and women who choose to enter state-run programmes to assist the homeless. With less than 1 000 beds available across the city for the tens of thousands without anywhere to sleep, it is hoped the work will be completed timeously.
Mary Gillett-de Klerk from the Johannesburg Homelessness Network has said previously, “Those homeless with addictions find shelters unhelpful owing to their policies. We need fit-for-purpose shelters with skills programmes connected to them for the person when they are ready to best use such a facility.”
Contact the Displaced Person’s Unit on 011 407 7308 for assistance.
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