A homeless shelter and assessment centre is planned for the Windsor West recreation centre in Knights Avenue and residents have only until 3 October to lodge objections.
Objecting to the establishment of an overnight shelter is of paramount importance to community members that attended the public meeting with City of Johannesburg officials on 25 September.
As the City tries to persuade the community to approve a shelter in their area, some do not believe the City has their best interests at heart and never informed them properly before setting the process in motion.
Alen Grobbelaar of the City’s Social Development department spoke to residents about the need for such a shelter to help the homeless back on their feet. He said even though not everyone wanted the help, those that do should have access to it.
“There is an increase of people coming to the city looking for jobs,” he said. “Most don’t find any and their next step is sleeping on the streets or in the parks. We need a major intervention and decide how we will assist.”
Grobbelaar said the City’s process of shelter management includes attempting to reunify family members, assist with skills development and finally work with public-private partnerships.
“They [homeless] must see that the City is there to help. At the end of the day, people must get off the street and into a bed. It is a miracle how people can change if you care and if there is a conducive environment to help them.”
Grobbelaar assured that there would be no security risks because of the shelter.
Although some agree with these sentiments, many residents fear the opposite as well as the value of their properties decreasing when the shelter opens.
Ward 98 councillor, Beverley Weweje, commented that crime was already in the area and that it would be easier for police to deal with criminals once displaced and homeless people were differentiated from them.
The Johannesburg Property Company’s Jay Sunker pleaded with the community to allow the City to help people.
“If we don’t have this shelter, the drug addicts and criminals will still be here,” he said.
But residents fear that the shelter will not be managed properly and that they will be left to deal with the consequences.
Some felt that the meeting left them with more questions than answers since the shelter has already been operating during the day.
This made some feel that the meeting was a mere courtesy and that the City did not need their input.
Grobbelaar admitted that the initial consultation with the community could have been handled better, but asked for their assistance going forward.
The community cans still submit objections along with supporting documentation, by no later than 3 October to objectionsplanning@joburg.org.za
The application to remove land use restrictions of the property, which is currently zoned for municipal use, to allow for overnight facilities, is open for inspection at 158 Civic Boulevard in Braamfontein and the Department of Development Planning’s registration counter on the 8th Floor in A-block.
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