‘My outlook in life has changed,’ says Cupido, a homeless success story

AN ORGANISATION for the homeless is changing the way they assist people and are now up-skilling people to ensure their futures are as bright as their personalities.

U-turn Homeless Ministries was founded in 1997 and its programmes and activities are aimed at poverty relief and skills development for homeless people.

It boasts several success stories, of which one of the stories is Dimitri Cupido from Athlone.

The father of one was reared in a strict household, however, after receiving some corporal punishment from his father, he grew resentful and felt like his family did not love him.

“I went looking for love elsewhere,” Cupido said.

He started mixing with the wrong crowd and soon fell into the life of crime and drugs.

As a juvenile, he spent some time in Pollsmoor Prison, yet, this did not give him the wake-up call he needed, instead, he fell deeper into illegal activities and drugs.

“I used tik and heroin. From my teens to my late 20s I was in prison. I can say I grew up in prison.”

After he was put out of the house by his father, Cupido would sleep in the car in the yard, still in denial that he was homeless.

This, also made him go even deeper into crime, as he explained how he broke into houses while people were sleeping just to support his drug habit.

The turning point in his life was seeing his daughter growing up.

Cupido cycled from Athlone to Claremont to attend the U-turn Homeless Ministries services.

“I want better for her. I am living here now (at facility) because I needed to get out of that area. The area is so negative. I also don’t want my daughter to grow up in that area,” Cupido said.

“I can only thank God. I think I was one year in recovery and my dad passed away. I still had that one year in my recovery that I could mend our relationship.”

A vision he had only dreamt of, soon turned to fruition when the ministry opened its landscaping section and nursery.

Cupido is now the manager of the landscaping section of the ministry and runs the nursery along with his fellow peers.

“My outlook in life has changed tremendously. Even when I was doing the wrong thing, I was the best at it. Now that I am doing positive things, I can change not just my future but also the lives of other people who can see I am there by their side,” he said.

In a bid to shed light on homelessness and curb rising numbers, U-turn Homeless Ministries and Independent Media have joined forces and launched “A night on the streets” campaign to raise R1 million to support U-turn's work.

The event in collaboration with BMW Constantia will bring together business leaders, politicians, City officials, and key influencers to spend a night sleeping on the pavement in Claremont.

There is also a virtual event option and tickets are available via Quicket.

The organisation can also be contacted via its website www.homeless. org.za.