Help the homeless

I REFER to the letter published on August 30 by Roger Wood titled, “Homeless need help to get off streets”. Society traditionally responds to homelessness with pity or disdain, but rarely do we invest in real solutions.

The image of the homeless man on the cover of the Cape Times on Tuesday 28 August, spoke to this tendency.

The word “homeless” is increasingly translated as “hopeless” by society.

The more pitiful the beggar, the more money they earn. This causes both the homeless person to lose dignity and hope for a better life, and the public to no longer see the potential of the person who is begging.

U-turn Homeless Ministries works with the homeless in Cape Town, alongside partners like Loaves and Fishes and the Matrix rehabilitation programme to create a pathway out of homelessness. This programme has statistically significant and positive results. The focus is first on basic needs, then drug and alcohol rehabilitation, followed by two years of Short term, these programmes are more expensive than providing a meal. But the cost of maintaining the homeless on the street is considerably more than rehabilitation and reintegration. The government provides funding for shelters, soup kitchens and social workers, but he outcomes are failing. The success rate for reintegration is low and the numbers of homeless people continue to grow. Society desperately needs to rethink our response and invest in long term solutions.