Knysna-Plett Herald

George needs another homeless shelter

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Worried from George: The forgotten... it made me think…

Every single morning, I drive past a homeless man who lives on the corner of Cradock and Market Street. I was surprised by this man's creativity. Every day I saw a new structure that he built from rubbish. I noticed the trolley with two broken wheels filled with junk near his "home". The other morning, while waiting for the robot to change, I saw him carefully going through the junk in the trolley. Taking it out, looking carefully at it, and putting it back.

It was obvious that it meant a lot to him. You and I would not think twice to throw it away. To him, it was his only possession. Another morning, the robot caught me again. He was pushing and dragging the trolley of possession­s to the other side of the road. He did not have a shirt on. The signs of hunger was obvious. I felt an intense sadness and guilt at the same time. Guilt for complainin­g and being ungrateful for what I have. He was struggling with this trolley because it had two broken wheels. He dragged, pushed, and pulled at it. At times he got so upset and shouted at it as if it were alive. His behaviour seemed puzzling. Then I realized that this trolley was his treasure.

On the way home from work, I passed him again. It was raining heavily. The man had a black bag on and was dancing on the corner. He seemed very happy. He danced and kicked, flapping his arms in the rain. He made me laugh. He lifted my spirits. He had nothing, but yet, he had everything... Before I go to bed,

I pray to God to be with everyone that needs Him, including the homeless. George are experienci­ng an increase of homelessne­ss. Unfortunat­ely, drugs contribute towards this problem. How can we make this "problem" better??

George needs another homeless centre, which includes a drug rehab facility. The problem will not go away, but the centre will make it better. God wants us to care for others and to help one another. Please help me with informatio­n on how to make this a reality.

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