‘Decrease number of homeless’

THERE are about 700 homeless people in central Cape Town and in winter it is hard to live on the streets.

The Central City Improvement District’s (CCID) social development manager, Pat Eddy, is challenging the City of Cape Town, local businesses and the Western Cape government to work hand in hand to decrease the number of homeless people in the CBD.

Cape Town’s street population extends to 1 200 when people who sleep rough in the surrounding neighbourhoods, but spend much of their time down town, are added. Eddy believes a lot can be done to decrease this number.

Eddy said that for weeks now they had been getting complaints of people begging and sleeping in residents’ doorways.

As part of the winter roll-out campaign for homeless people, CCID fieldworkers have volunteered to provide 150 sleeping bags, 100 waterproof ponchos, and R2 500 worth of instant soup, 30 mattresses, 40 waterproof covers, and 40 under blankets to their clients.

CCID has purchased 150 “Show you care” branded Street Sleepers for distribution to its street clients.

Street Sleeper is a Woodstock-based non-profit organisation that upcycles vinyl billboards into sleeping bags. The bags are durable and waterproof, and transform into carrier bags for storing possessions during the day. At night, the user can fill the pillow slip area with clothes for head support. And in the event of a Street Sleeper going missing, a CCID fieldworker will be able to return the bag, when found, through a numbering system that will link the property back to the original recipient.