Programme coordinator at the Tshwane Leadership Foundation, Wayne Renkin chats to us about the organisations work to help curb the plight of homelessness in the city. By Kwanele Mathebula
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The Tshwane Leadership Foundation has been around for 25 years. They provide holistic support to the communities most vulnerable people – women, the homeless and those struggling with mental illness. We have a variety of programmes that help the above mentioned people access basic services such as health, housing and employment. We do this by working with organisation in Pretoria such as the universities in the city, UNISA and the University of Pretoria.
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The reasons people end up homeless are much more complex than you may realise. There are a variety of factors that cause homelessness, such as lack of access to basic services; housing, medical services and employment. This results in people moving to cities in search of a better life. For example, Sunnyside in Pretoria has a lot of students living on the streets because they left their homes thinking they had secured residences, only to find that that was not the case. There is also the case of people traveling from rural areas in search of jobs, but don’t find work and end up living on the streets. Some leave their homes seeking medical attention at the public hospitals which have long waiting lists leading them to end up self-medicating and eventually addicted to drugs which results in homelessness. There are instances when the elderly people’s families don’t take care of them, and they end up having to live on the streets because old age homes are expensive.
There are 3 types of homeless people. Over the years, we’ve noticed that there are different levels when it comes to homeless people. There are those who need interventions such as an ID or C.V. There are those who need larger interventions and a longer period to get them back on their feet. The last type is those who are not able to move on, such as the elderly. They can’t cope or live out their full potential.
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Our approach to help reduce homelessness is all-inclusive. We work with people whom we define as street homelessness – these are people who live on the streets. We provide services that help them get back on their feet.
- We have skills training programmes such as work readiness, interview support and life skills.
- We also give financial assistance when they have interviews or starting work and need money for transport.
- We have computers where they can draw up their CVs.
- We assist them access their papers such as IDs and proof of residence to have access to basic services.
- We provide affordable social housing in the city.
There are a few things that people can do to help homeless people. Homelessness is not an issue that the government can solve on its own. Government can only address structural issues, such as affordable housing in the city, a well-functioning healthcare system and have policies acknowledging homelessness. What citizens can do is to help destigmatise the language used when talking about homeless people. They must be acknowledged with dignity and humanity. We need to get back to the principles of ubuntu, and treat them with love and care. You can also reach out to support programmes that work with homeless people in your neighbourhood.
