Room with a view for a homeless few
Handouts discourage people on street from accepting social services
“DARLING, I have a walk-in closet in my room,” Danny Oosthuizen told three other guests of the Tsogo Sun Cape Sun hotel yesterday afternoon before they checked in.
“And what are you even going to put in there?” quizzed Natalie Smith. “You don’t have any clothes with you.”
“Darling, that room is so big, but it can barely fit my personality,” came Oosthuizen’s retort.
Tsogo Sun agreed to accommodate Oosthuizen and three guests for the night in celebration of World Homeless Day yesterday.
“You know, CSI and what we can do for our community is quite important,” Cape Sun general manager Jacques Moolman said.
“As it is we work quite closely with the CCID (Cape Town Central Improvement District) and in our rooms, you’ll see we have flyers urging our guests to leave things behind, clothing, or whatever, in their rooms specifically for the homeless. They’re distributed on behalf of Tsogo to the CCID.
“Not only for our homeless, but also to our community and those in need.”
Oosthuizen and his guests were shown to their rooms high above the city centre, via the iconic glass lifts.
“Check down there,” Smith said, pointing to the fountain at the lower end of St George’s Mall. “We used to wash our clothes there.”
The group was in awe as they saw their rooms for the first time.
“I feel like a queen,” said Charlene Matafin, who has lived on the street since her mother died when Matafin was eight.
CAPETONIANS should refrain from giving handouts directly to street people as it discourages them from accepting social services. The City of Cape Town’s social development department yesterday hosted at least 100 people to mark World Homeless Day.
JP Smith, mayoral committee member for safety, security and social services, said the day, now in its seventh year, aimed to highlight issues affecting the homeless as well as the role communities can play in responding to needs of the homelessness.
“We are constantly reminding residents about the harm in giving money directly to street people. While they may think they’re doing a good deed, in reality it only discourages street people from accepting social services. Giving money perpetuates chronic homelessness as well as other social issues,” he said.
“The City has a number of programmes to help street people, but we can reach far more people in a more meaningful way if the public support interventions that will assist with reintegrating and helping street people rather than giving handouts that are nothing more than a plaster on a wound requiring far greater care,” he added.
“Often the donations obtained on the street will actively prevent reintegration. While members of the public will complain about the structures erected and activities undertaken by street people, they will often also continue to incentivise such behaviour through donations directly to the street person while forgetting about the person who leaves the street to return home or moves to a shelter. The City encourages people to donate directly to the NGOs working with street people to ensure we support attempts to rebuild their lives off the street.”
OFTEN THE DONATIONS MADE ON STREET WILL ACTIVELY PREVENT THE REINTEGRATION OF THESE PEOPLE