Everybody Counts Cape Town

15/12/2024

Tomorrow we will go Homeless for Christmas again. This is our third annual pilgrimage where we return to the streets to ensure we are up to date with what it's like living homeless on the streets of Cape Town. And as we go we gift those we meet with care packages.
WHAT IS HOMELESS FOR CHRISTMAS AND WHY THE CARE PACKAGES?

We go back to the streets with Homeless for Christmas 2024 to update our data collected during our Everybody Counts campaign https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089048173936&mibextid=ZbWKwL

Everybody Counts was launched during Homeless for Christmas 2022 as a count and assessment of the homeless in Cape Town and it was completed during Homeless for Christmas 2023. This data needs to be regularly updated to ensure we offer the actual services required by the homeless to come off the streets.
If one is NOT aware of the extent of the issue one is dealing with, or what the issue you are dealing with is really about (which with homelessness is:
1. how people became homeless
2. what that journey was like and most importantly
3. what services THEY require to come off the streets,)
Well, then you are working in a vacuum, guessing, wasting money and resources and achieving nothing.

WHY DO WE GIVE CARE PACKAGES AWAY DURING HOMELESS FOR CHRISTMAS?

AND NO, IT'S NOT A HAND OUT THAT KEEPS PEOPLE FROM SEEKING ASSISTANCE!

Most homeless individuals are NOT living on the streets by choice. They do NOT have a VIABLE ALTERNATIVE!

NO! 1000 BEDS AT SAFE SPACES AND 1500 BEDS AT SHELTERS ARE NOT ENOUGH TO HOUSE 20 000 PEOPLE LIVING ON THE STREETS
AND
YES! MOST WOULD IN ANY CASE REFUSE TO GO IF GIVEN THE RARE OPPORTUNITY!
AND NO, IT'S NOT BECAUSE THEY ALL WANT TO DO DRUGS AND CRIME!
AND YES!IT'S BECAUSE:
THEY ARE FORCED TO BE OUT OF THESE PLACES FOR 12 HOURS OF THE DAY MONDAY TO FRIDAY
THEY HAVE TO LIVE IN PRISON STYLE DORMITORIES OF 50-100 PEOPLE THEY DON'T KNOW
ONLY ONE SAFE SPACE ALLOWS COUPLES
NO FAMILIES
NO PETS
NO AGENCY TO DETERMINE WHAT YOUR OWN FUTURE WILL LOOK LIKE
EVICTED BACK ONTO THE STREETS AFTER 3-6 MONTHS

People living on the streets do not receive any benefit from ANY sphere of government. Neither do they benefit from any funds collected from the public through the GIVE RESPONSIBLY OR GIVE DIGNITY campaigns.
And so, people living on the streets are left to their own devices and rely on the general public for survival.

Our CARE PACKAGES are put together from the information we collected during the EVERYBODY COUNTS assessments
CARE PACKAGES CONSIST OF:
Some food (can of pilchards, can of baked beans, an energy bar), toiletries (soap, wet wipes, a razor, sanitary pads, toothbrush, toothpaste,a nail clipper, toilet paper, plasters), a solar powered charger/light and a pair of socks).

And so, CARE PACKAGES are a small gesture of acknowledgement and gratitude to those still living on the streets when we go back HOMELESS FOR CHRISTMAS to update our data and learn how we can help to get people sustainably off the streets and bring them back inside as we have successfully done again this year.

You can sponsor ONE CARE PACKAGE BY DONATING R150.00.
CM HOMELESS SOLUTIONS TYMEBANK 678910
ACC: 5300 1069 559
REF: CARE PACKAGES
REG NO.: 2002/926736/08
Thank you
Carlos

26/05/2024

My column in this week's Cape Argus is part three of my indepth look at the City's draft strategy on reducing rough sleeping

24/05/2024

CAPE TOWN’S PROPOSED NEW STRATEGY ON “REDUCING ROUGH SLEEPING IN CAPE TOWN” PART THREE

MY RESPONSE TO THE RECENTLY RELEASED DRAFT PLAN TO REDUCE ROUGH SLEEPING ON THE STREETS OF CAPE TOWN (PART 3)

This is my third column focusing on the City of Cape Town’s draft strategy on reducing rough sleeping and here please take note of the so-called achievements of the Safe Spaces since their inception. I was at a loss for words.

The City gives us a run down of their safe space intervention.
These Safe Spaces are temporary, transitional places of safety, where rough sleepers can sleep and store valuables. Guidance and care are provided to rough sleepers with the aim of assisting them towards re-integration
Again the City speaks with a forked tongue as they know that there is virtually no chance of re-integrating someone from a safe space, by their own admission, the majority of spending is allocated to safe space tenders (38%) and safe space security (25%) and only 5% on exposure and programs.

Culemborg Safe Space 1 (CBD): The Culemborg Safe Space was launched in June 2018:
Reintegrations 397 Family Reunification 68 Relocation Unknown over a 6 year period: 66 per year
The Culemborg Parking Lot was launched in 2020
Reintegration’s 67 Family Reunification 71 Relocation 33 over a 4 year period: 43 per year
Safe Space at Paint City (Bellville, Cape Town) launched in 2020
Reintegration’s 116 Family Reunification 37 Relocation Unknown over a 4 year period: 38 per year

These revelations leave me cold.

No other possible conclusion can be reached other than to say that the safe space intervention, as it stands, is a horrific waste of ratepayers money with no redeeming features.
It translates to 147 individuals being assisted per annum on close to R100 million investment.
I know that the calculation I am revealing to you now is over-simplified but it serves to provide a tangible idea the total waste of resources on a program that depicts a cost of R680 272.10 to successfully re-integrate one individual.

The City having admitted all this now stipulates that it is currently in the process of establishing additional Safe Spaces in the 2023/2024 financial year. The establishment of the Safe Spaces will contribute an additional 400 bed spaces which will reduce the number of people sleeping in open spaces and provide access to developmental services.

Surely, if the City understands what it has written and admitted to in the introduction to and summary of it’s draft strategy, and yet here they are proposing opening another safe space operating as the other three do and with the same unqualified and possibly worst performing service provider ever to be granted a tender in the sector managing it. The service provider tender for the proposed new Safe Space in Greenpoint was awarded over 6 months ago , despite the Safe Space still having no fixed opening date. This leaves little doubt in my mind that this strategy is a mere deflection.

This same service provider has been the subject of numerous complaints from both residents and other service providers. They have been the subject of forensic investigations, police criminal investigations, health inspector investigations and SAHRC investigations.
Their tender awards from the City have shocked long standing and respected organisations.

The words tender corruption are synonymous with MAT DOC and this is enough for me to seriously question the City’s sudden desire to address their strategy on rough sleeping

Somehow, at this point of dissecting this proposed strategy, the whispers of electioneering have become loud screams. Surely the City cannot be serious about change and expect the Provincial Government to step up as they should, if they themselves are intent on saying one thing, to put critics at bay for a while whilst they continue doing as they have been doing all along.

To continue with a program whose performance is highlighted by the re-integration of 43 individuals per annum per Safe Space with rate payer’s millions is beyond far fetched and ludicrous.

The City then lists what they refer to as the challenges of, and challenges associated with, rough sleeping, but in effect this is where they now blame everything on the National Government again.

They mention that the lack of an overarching national framework constitutes a large policy deficit, which has led to an incoherent homelessness policy and strategy at all government levels.

The City goes on to make yet another mistake in blaming the national government for being bureaucratically constrained, and lacking in innovative and proactive measures as well as funding to address the issue. It is within this context that the City has spent significant effort, as well as funding, to address rough sleeping.
This is false. The National Government has without a doubt failed in not having produced its own guiding policy and the funding for social development is without a doubt never enough but, if the City is honest it is the Provincial Department that is mandated to introduce programs, distribute the funds, monitor their spend and evaluate the services being offered by the service providers being paid to provide the services. And it is through the Provincial Department’s reporting that funding is adjusted annually by the National Department.
Only a year ago, in the National Assembly, and in response to a DA member, the National Minister of Social Development read out the figures provided by the Western Cape Provincial Government to her Department.

According to the Western Cape Department, there are 41 street children in the entire Western Cape and they are all accommodated in shelters. They go on to claim that we have 748 unaccommodated adults in total living on the streets of the entire Western Cape. This depicts chronic cluelessness.

The Western Cape Department of Social Development’s and the Western Cape Provincial Government’s lack of interest and involvement in addressing the issue of homelessness is exemplified by the fact that in the entire 5 years of his term as Premier, Alan Winde has in his all his annual budget speeches, featured the words “Homeless” and “Homelessness” twice.

PART ONE OF MY ANALYSIS: https://www.iol.co.za/capeargus/the-dignity-project/a-response-to-the-citys-strategy-to-reduce-rough-sleeping-7004f984-4e78-4ea9-80b5-e142d9338ce1
PART TWO OF MY ANALYSIS
https://www.busrep.co.za/capeargus/the-dignity-project/part-two-a-response-to-the-citys-strategy-to-reduce-rough-sleeping-5d50f309-f712-4590-97b9-30dcd9820aa0

20/05/2024

Celebrate with us that this year for the first time over 1000 individuals living on the streets will be assisted to voting stations to make their mark- in the CBD, Greenpoint, Bellville, and Maitland.

We are also currently trying to house a family of four living in a park in Maitland. The father recently got a job in construction in Observatory and so will as of next month be able to afford the rent. We are looking to give this family a hand up by paying their first month's rent. We have collected R400 thus far and require another R1100.00.

Accommodation will assist him in keeping his employ and get two young children of 2 and 4 years of age and their mother off the freezing streets.

Please share the attachment as we need to try and accommodate them by today if we are to secure the accommodation.

Thank you to those that assisted in getting the young family to Pretoria, They arrived safe and were welcomed warmly

17/05/2024

This is part two of my in depth analysis of the City of Cape Town's proposed new STRATEGY ON REDUCING ROUGH SLEEPING IN CAPE TOWN

This is the second part of my in depth analysis of the City's DRAFT STRATEGY TO REDUCE ROUGH SLEEPING. As I mentioned last week, something just doesn't add up and so, I continue my page by page analysis of this dtraft strategy.
As if forgetting what they have admitted about The City switches gears and suggests that the shelters and Safe spaces play a significant role in terms of seeking to unlock the individual's innate abilities through training or employment opportunities that tap into community resources (e.g. through a partnership with local skills NGOs and business chambers). This is a blatant lie. With the exception of a handful of independently run shelters that do go the extra mile, most are nothing more than a place to take refuge for the night and no such services are offered.
Even a basic necessity like an initial appointment with the resident social worker to assess new intakes are few and far between.In fact, the City itself alludes to this It should be noted, however, that transitional housing or shelters may be required to support a pathway to permanent housing and reintegration into society.
If the shelters and safe spaces are in fact already doing what the City claims they are doing, why would new housing alternatives be necessary?

The danger with this type of narrative is that it leaves enough room to retain the current model and merely say that extra services are now being employed by these same facilities.
Then the strategy surprises again with another important deviation from the City’s usual narrative that it’s safe spaces provide sustainable employment opportunities for those opting to stay there through the EPWP program, when it stipulates correctly that while providing a ‘leg-up’, the temporary nature of the EPWP employment option often undermines the ability of rough sleepers to escape poverty traps, or amass skills in high demand from the labour market. A need exists to create platforms for skilled or relatively well-educated rough sleepers so that they might be supported through developmental programs.

But at this stage the strategy starts reminding me of a school project where the student was given a topic and then copies and pastes from various sources without truly understanding the need to assimilate certain facts and ensure that there are no contradicting opinions or facts resulting in a disjointed presentation and revealing the student’s lack of insight.

Whilst admitting that the City has no database to know who it is that is actually sleeping rough and to help determine the services they require, the strategy suddenly claims that some experiences are common across all groups of rough sleepers. Primary among them is victimisation from policing and business entities (occurring between 50%-75% of rough sleepers). The outcome is that these individuals are often perceived as being criminal due to rough sleepers conducting private activities in public places noting that some of these activities are prohibited by City by-laws. So, not only does the strategy contradict itself with regards to the availability of reliable data on homelessness, it is now also suggesting that that the criminalisation of those living on the streets is based on them being victimised for performing private functions in public places for obvious reasons and then blame their own recently changed and discriminatory bylaws.

Then at one stage the strategy speaks to the valuable services offered through the safe spaces and mentions referrals to the City’s Matrix outpatient program as one of these important interventions, not mentioning that referrals are just that and do not necessarily guarantee success but a page or two later state the following:
The reality is that the majority of persons living on the street require substance abuse rehabilitation, however, due to a lack of rehabilitation centres or limitations in out-patient services, it proves to be a major challenge. Now which one is it?

I suddenly feel as if I am dealing with a City that is struggling with multiple personality disorder. Rough sleepers are noted as having a profound ability to establish rules amongst themselves on navigating and utilising shared public spaces amongst themselves. This resilience provides a narrative of rough sleepers being strong human beings with an active role to play in their own development, with a robust set of skills and rich social networks.

These social networks are used in part for identifying job opportunities or other forms of income generation. On the whole, such social networks are used to foster a sense of belonging. I agree with this narrative 100% but if this is the case why are we treating them like children allowing them no agency in determining what the best version of themselves could look like? Why are we accommodating them in places where they are separated from those they are close to and feel they belong with and where they are told what to do, how to do it and when to do it and spend a quarter of the total budget on security to ensure these dictatorial rules are followed?
PART ONE OF MY ANALYSIS: https://www.iol.co.za/capeargus/the-dignity-project/a-response-to-the-citys-strategy-to-reduce-rough-sleeping-7004f984-4e78-4ea9-80b5-e142d9338ce1

17/05/2024

Hi all. Thank you to those who have donated and ensured that our young family will be on a bus to Pretoria by tomorrow afternoon. We still need R400 to as spending money for them and the baby for the trip over (18 hrs) and their transport to Hamaanskraal. CM HOMELESS SOLUTIONS TYMEBANK 678910 ACC NO.: 53001069559

Thank you to those who assisted

16/05/2024

URGENT APPEAL TO ASSIST A FAMILY RE-UNITE
This is an urgent appeal for assistance as we have as yet not received any support to help Thomas, Felicity and little Blessing get back to Pretoria.
We accommodated this young family at the end of last year as part of our “Homeless for Christmas” campaign and have been trying to, at their request, reunite them with Thomas’ family.
Although not well off, the parents are overjoyed over their grandchild and the news that the parents have now been clean since the baby’s birth.
The cheapest option to get them to Pretoria is one of the late busses which will cost us a total of R884 if we book early (at least a week in advance) or R1280 if we want to put them on a bus tomorrow.
We will provide them with meals to take with as it's a long trip especially with a baby and would like to give them some spending money.
They have been religiously paying for their accommodation and looking after themselves since mid -January and so don't have much resources.
We would like to gift them with R500 to spend on the trip and to get transport to Hammanskraal once in Pretoria.

So please share with family, friends and colleagues. If we are able to get 18 people to contribute R100, we will be able to assist this family re-unite.

PLEASE DONATE TO: CM HOMELESS SOLUTIIONS TYMEBANK BRANCH: 678910
ACC. NO: 5300 1069 559 REF: PTA05/24

What we don't spend on the tickets, we will gift them to help them once in Hammans kraal.

I believe that the re-unification of families destroyed by addiction can lead to a more sustainable recovery for the addict, hence my integrating Project Reconnect into restart.

27/04/2024

This is a rare occassion, where I compliment the City of Capetown with regards to anything pertaining homelessness. It's my open letter to the City on a document they issued earlier in the week: STRATEGY TO REDUCE ROUGH SLEEPING

25/04/2024

For those of you that have asked where you can find all my weekly columns for the Cape Argus, there are currently two options:https://www.iol.co.za/authors/carlos-mesquita.
And for those of you that are not aware, I am in the process of finalising the book that I am writing "Being, Becoming, Belonging" which is my story intertwined with the columns I have written since October 2020 for the Cape Argus.

Find Carlos Mesquita of Cape Argus's articles, email address, contact information, Twitter and more

25/04/2024

This year, along with our Winter Warmers and Everybody Counts campaign, during which we visit those living on the streets and hand out your donations of warm clothes, warm shoes, socks, blankets and toiletries, we are also asking you to help us help not only those living on the streets by helping to sponsor as many SHELTERSUIT FOUNDATION "SHELTERBAGS" as possible to those most vulnerable but also at the same time be helping those 65 people, 10 who are the breadwinners (all previously unemployed), who produce and have produced the shelterbags at The Sheltersuit Foundation production facility since 2020.
With dedicated supporters and funders, they aim to build a sustainable model that will be self-funding.
The talents of their team are incredible and they produce products of world class standards.
They have distributed 12 000 shelterbags globally through the efforts of fund-raising by individuals, clubs and non profits in the following countries:
Australia, Argentina, Peru, West Coast USA, New York, UK, Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany, Poland, Ukraine.

We have thousands of people living on our streets that can not be accommodated by our shelters and safe spaces as there is no longer any capacity to do so and expecting them to survive on the streets with no assistance is inhumane.

Should you wish to contribute to this great initiative, please contact Lyn at [email protected]

Or if you would like to donate to our Winter Warmers campaign please contact Carlos at [email protected]

25/04/2024

Chilling reality as Cape Town's homeless face winter's wrath

While many are concerned about the rising cost of living and especially higher electricity prices during winter, around 20 000 Capetonians are homeless. With temperatures predicted to dropping to dangerous levels this winter, it’s even harder for those who are sleeping on the streets to survive. With so many people in Capetown not having their housing needs met, it makes winter an even more frightening prospect.

Each year, as winter approaches and the temperature begins to drop, many homeless people, including those usually against living in the City’s safe spaces and shelters take the decision to move from the streets to the city’s shelter system to escape the cold. However, few communities have city-wide cold-weather response plans, and many of the plans currently in place leave gaping holes in accessibility and availability.

Shelters and safe spaces often have no resources to help them cope with the increased demand caused by cold weather conditions. The City does offer expanded winter services during the winter months by assisting shelters with extra mattresses (usually 10 per shelter as well as groceries and EPWP staff to assist shelter operators. Unfortunately we already experience such a shortage of bed space that this initiative, although important and appreciated does nothing to alleviate the demand and pressure. Its at times like this that I feel communities should be involved in impacting on especially the Churches in their areas to offer resources to help the homeless people escape from the cold. I am sure that the city would oblige with supporting such initiatives with staffing through an EPWP program. At least, I hope that would be the case.

Without a carefully constructed winter plan, homeless service facilities may find themselves unable to accommodate the influx of residents, and some of those people who seek shelter are turned out into the cold. With nowhere to stay except the streets, people experiencing homelessness have a much higher risk than the general population of developing exposure-related conditions such as hypothermia and frostbite. These conditions can be immediately life threatening and may also increase the risk of dying from unrelated conditions in the future. Increased homeless services, especially additional shelter availability, are necessary to accommodate the amplified need in the winter.

Here are some comments by young people living on the streets this winter:

“‘Pretty much every second of your time will be spent trying not to die.”

Following a breakdown at home, 16-year-old Jen wandered the streets in winter doing what she could to stay conscious: “ I hang about in McDonalds or Somerset Hospital until they kick me out, and then I try to find somewhere else warm. It’s just so cold; I don’t even have socks. I’ve got big scars on my ankles from walking about all the time.”

“Even though it is horrible and cold and I don’t have any spare clothes, in my head it is still better than what I ran away from”

“It’s ridiculously cold and dangerous. And all the shelters are full or they don’t take families or pets… its a never ending battle to survive”

“If you live on the mountain when its raining, the wind is blowing and its ice cold, it really becomes dangerous trying to come off the mountain to find some food”

“You get people that help, but most blame you for being on the streets. I don’t have the strength to try and make them see the truth”
My column in this week's Cape Argus

Chilling reality as Cape Town's homeless face winter's wrath

Being homeless in winter is ruthless, but there are certainly proactive things we can do to help those rough sleeping at this time of year – From winter care packages to volunteering, here’s some handy tips on helping homeless people this winter. Donate winter care packages for homeless people.In the colder months, homeless people need warm clothes and essentials more than ever. It’s easy to put together a homeless kit for winter which, alongside the usual hygiene kit items such as soap, wet wipes and toothbrushes, can also include warm clothes and thermal items.

Please contact me should you wish to in any way make a contribution to those living on our streets this winter: [email protected]

03/04/2024

Good day everyone.
Whilst most people were spending some quality time with their families this weekend, I received this anguished plea from a sister:

"I hope you will be able to assist me. My sister, Christy Barca, has been missing for 6 days. She was diagnosed with bipolar and schizophrenia 3 years ago at Lentegeur psychiatric hospital."

There is a possibility that she is in the CBD in or around the Company Gardens.

Venetia Orgill Soli Philander Soli Philander Foundation Souper Troopers Streetscape's Community Projects Cape Town Central City Improvement District Ezra October Service Dining Rooms Ilse Greyling Maartens Kevin Alexander II Chantel Samantha Sampson
Women of Hope Trust Pink Ladies - CRIME WATCH and everyone out there, Please help us find this lady