How can we contribute to the lives of the homeless?
THEY tap your windows at robots, selling all kinds of gadgets, wanting to wash your windscreen, remove your dirt and some beg unashamedly, all traces of dignity long gone. Placards and pleading eyes tell it all for desperate denizens. They continuously buzz your intercoms at home, asking for menial jobs in return for a plate of food.
The harsh realities of Durban’s homeless and destitute people are everywhere – on the city’s park benches and even the beachfront. Some seek refuge in church or school yards, others in automobile graveyards. The fortunate rake up enough cash through pan handling to stay at a shelter. For many this life is not by design but rather through circumstances beyond their control.
For many, their lives are akin to a goldfish swimming endlessly in a bowl – searching for something it may never find.
Unemployment, loss of a job, divorce, disability, alcohol and drug addiction, the influx of illegal foreigners and rural dwellers heading for the city are some reasons for this growing group.
Some relief is provided by religious and community organisations and concerned individuals, who host feeding schemes and soup kitchens. For many of the street people it is their only meal and like manna from heaven.
Other relief initiatives have included the Papermoney Project and Pop-Up-Shop roll out. Perhaps Durban should consider introducing Street Sleeper Bags, like Cape Town. The bag is durable and waterproof and made from recycled material. During the day it can be used as a carrier bag, holding the bearer’s possessions and at night the pillow slip portion can be filled to form a head support pillow.
Concerned citizens and residents should be able to buy transport, meal and shelter vouchers from retail stores, and give them to street people in return for work, errands or out of pure sympathy. This will go a long way to eradicating petty crime and drug and alcohol dependence. The city fathers should also consider setting up ablution facilities for them to take care of their needs in privacy and dignity away from the prying eyes of the public.
To sort out the hunger problem, leading retailers, restaurants, hotels and fast-food outlets should establish initiatives in partnership with eThekwini.