Mahatma Gandhi famously said, “The true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members.” As South Africans, we are sometimes desensitised to the poverty that permeates our ordinary lives. We become used to the sight of the radical impact our ever-expanding gap between the haves and have-nots creates. While most of us would like to help, many people are uneducated on the extraordinarily complex issues that create and sustain homelessness.
Due to our own basic understanding of these ever-evolving issues, it makes a greater difference when we partner with and give back to organisations equipped with the infrastructure, skill and experience to combat homelessness and help in a sustainable way.
“Handouts of cash given to desperate – often mentally ill people – add fuel to the same addictions that put them on the streets. Institutions such as our partners at MES have spent decades building, perfecting and maintaining the social infrastructure to efficiently maximise the impact of our donations, and the results are inarguable,” says Jaco Wessels, COO of our appointed urban management company, Geocentric.
Here are our top recommendations of non-profit organisations active in 2022 and how to contribute to their vision responsibly
MES
MES Cape Town is a pivotal partner in efforts to sustainably rehome the homeless in many City Improvement Districts. Their extensive network of strong outreach and social relief programmes allows them to provide the reach and resources that our CID requires. They also have a reactive help desk to assist us whenever necessary to meet the immediate and short-term needs of the homeless and unemployed community.
We work with MES extensively to source the individuals that we require as casual labour for project-specific work. The experts at MES also scout out individuals who show promise and then place them with us every week. For those who show dedication, we offer the opportunity to be absorbed on a probationary basis as one of our workers a.k.a our Green Ants. We then provide opportunities for all our Green Ants to become supervisors, further their training and grow into an integral part of our workforce.
To ensure that the funds they generate with us are put to good use, we pay their stipend directly to MES, who in turn use it to cover the cost of their living expenses sustainably until the end of their stay.
To get in touch, call them on +27 21 949 8736 or send an email to info@mes.org.za.
Visit their website to donate here.
The Haven Night Shelter
Another one of our partners is The Haven Night Shelter. Like us, they believe that there comes a stage in the downward path at which individuals cannot help themselves and are dedicated to being there to give them the lift they need. They help by making temporary shelter, rehabilitation opportunities, social welfare services, family reunification services, physical care and support available to adult people living on the streets, to ensure the holistic reintegration of the homeless community into society.
We call often on their dedicated team of trained field workers to delicately encourage resistant people to come off the streets and get the person back home. The process is often a lengthy one and involves logging the person on the relevant City database of homeless people, trying to track down that person’s family and making contact, assisting with travel arrangements and following up with the family to check if the individual is safe.
To get in touch, call them on +27 (21) 425 4700 or send an email to info@haven.org.za.
Visit their website here to find more information on how you can help.
Here are some tips on how you can help responsibly
- Donate directly to a registered and legitimate NGO in your area. Your donations do not have to be monetary either so be on the lookout for clothing items, towels, tents, blankets, pillows, bags or non-perishable groceries for institutions such as FoodForward SA.
- Support charities and campaigns by advocating to prevent homelessness on social media. By following and sharing posts of organisations such as Women’s Shelter Movement, Ons Plek and Youth Solutions Africa you help grow their followings and advocate their cause.
- Volunteer your time or professional skills. Everyone – from the accountants among us to the karate teachers – has a unique offering that can improve the lives of those less fortunate, so ask your local charities how you may dedicate your skill to improving their offering.
Since the ratio of people in need of help, and the help available, is so unbalanced, many NGOs and NPOs are left with tight funds to run the businesses themselves. By donating your time, skill, possessions or money in a responsible way, you not only help make our district a safer space but provide our homeless residents with the chance to rekindle a sense of pride, community and dignity.
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