Thousands of young SA women face life on street

Any aid for about 5 000 potentially homeless would be welcomed

WITH statistics indicating that one in four young people become homeless within two years of aging out of care, a Cape Townbased Non-Profit Organisation (NPO) is seeking to address the problem and work to transform the lives of young women.

Led by O Grace Land managing director Philani Zama, the NPO intends running a residential independent living programme for young women aging out of care homes once they turn 18, it said in a statement yesterday.

The United Nations Children’s Fund South Africa 2012 annual report revealed there were 345 registered children’s homes in the country looking after 21 000 children.

This meant over 5 000 of these youngsters could find themselves on the streets once they were no longer eligible to be accommodated at the formal homes.

“There is no support system for children once they reach the age of 18 and leave formal care and there is a scarcity of alternative care programs suitable for older adolescents,” Zama said.

“In addressing these challenges, I believe it is necessary to establish a home that would provide these young girls with a much better chance of attaining their full potential and give them much-needed support as they start their journey to independence.”

O Grace Land was set to provide a residential independent living programme to cater for young girls above 18 years. The cost of providing this service would be roughly R1.5m a year.

Board chairman Oupa Majola said one problem was a lack of resources and called on interested parties to provide any form of aid.

The programme would cater for 18 to 22-year-old girls aging out of children’s homes. The target was to start with 10 and then grow the programme gradually.