More homeless shelters needed in JHB North
SANDTON – The issue of homelessness is a human rights issue, according to the Johannesburg Organisation of Services to the Homeless (Josh).
On 30 October, a Sandton Chronicle journalist witnessed a group of homeless men fill up their water bottles at a petrol station on Sandton Drive.
The desperate attempts of these men to obtain water for their survival was reiterated during a conversation that the Sandton Chronicle had with Mary Gillett-De Klerk of the Johannesburg Organisation of Services to the Homeless (Josh) on 28 October.
De Klerk chose to meet at the Field and Study Centre in Sandton, as this area is home to numerous displaced persons.
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“We need to start identifying areas for homeless shelters in Johannesburg north. I have experienced homeless shelters in Cape Town and these are very effective; they use a voucher system.”
She elaborated on this particular system, which offers charities, individuals or businesses the opportunity to buy a voucher to sponsor a homeless person’s accommodation for a given period of time. The purchasing of this voucher makes necessary funds available to feed, bed and offer sanitation to a homeless person.
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According to her, a Harvard University study was done, which concluded that businesses who invest in social change are more likely to have an increased profit. “This becomes a win-win situation for both the business and the homeless people,” she said.
One cannot simply force a displaced or homeless individual to enter into a homeless shelter. “It is a human dignity infringement to force a person into a shelter. We use a hostel system whereby the person can come to the shelter and sign in for a given period [of time] and we give them the freedom of choice.”
De Klerk highlighted the numerous benefits of building much-needed shelters. “When these people are in a shelter, we can assess their issues, offer counselling and conduct job assessments. We then send the homeless to skills workshops where they can learn carpentry, for example. This makes the process sustainable and empowers the person in their community.”
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A vital Constitutional right in South Africa involves the right to vote. “Giving these people a homeless shelter allows them to have an address so they can register to vote,” she said.
The organisation needs the community’s assistance in order to alleviate this socio-economic crisis. “Help us give them dignity. At the moment charity is too random; we have to coordinate where people can take their donations and we desperately need a charity to provide ablution facilities for the homeless. Anyone who has a soup kitchen must please come forward and contact us [Josh].”
Details: info.joburghomeless@gmail.com
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