As the deadline looms for the eviction of hundreds of homeless individuals from Cape Town’s CBD, Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis stands firm, asserting that the ‘Safe Spaces’ initiative is the city’s sole sustainable solution.
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‘The most inhumane and undignified condition that homeless people live under is on the street. The Safe Spaces we provide are far from inhumane and undignified. In fact, they are facilities that all Capetonians can be extremely proud of,’ Hill-Lewis said on Thursday when he addressed a full council sitting.
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‘I hear this argument that we [the City] should be providing a full home, an RDP home to every person that is homeless, [but that] is completely financially unfeasible for every city in the world, even San Francisco.’
According to News24, Hill-Lewis acknowledged the need to enhance the dignity of homeless individuals but emphasised that providing each person with a separate apartment or home is not feasible.
‘What we are doing is a massive step-up for dignity. Not only does it [Safe Spaces] provide dignified sanitation, they receive meals, they receive training, there is a doctor that visits, and a training programme that helps them access job training and readiness. This is all that this council provides.’
The mayor’s comments come as time runs out for hundreds of homeless people in the CBD.
In June, the Western Cape High Court issued a final eviction order mandating the removal of homeless individuals from Cape Town’s CBD by 30 July, directing them to relocate to Safe Space shelters.
This order pertains to various unlawful occupation hotspots, including Buitengracht Street, FW de Klerk Boulevard, Foregate Square, the taxi rank and Foreshore, Helen Suzman Boulevard, Strand Street, Foreshore/N1, Virginia Avenue and Mill Street Bridge.
The order includes a standing interdict against further unlawful occupation of these and other City-owned public spaces.
The City manages three Safe Space shelters in Durbanville and Culemborg, with a fourth opening soon in Green Point.
The number of destitute residents has increased in recent years due to the Covid-19 pandemic and national lockdown, with the Cape Town CBD seeing a significant rise in street sleepers.
After 30 July, the Sheriff of the Court is authorised to evict any unlawful occupants.
Mpho Raboeane, executive director of Ndifuna Ukwazi, disagreed with Hill-Lewis, arguing that the real financial burden is the criminal justice response to homelessness under the Streets By-Law rather than investing in comprehensive solutions.
‘What is unsustainable is the indefinite cost of cycling people through an inadequate shelter system. Other jurisdictions have varied approaches tailored to meet people at their point of need and not cycling people between shelters and safe spaces.’
‘Specifically, in the US, vacant hotels are being used to accommodate the unhoused in programmes toward independent living. Similar opportunities exist with vacant commercial buildings and dedicated transitional housing.’
‘The most successful approach to dealing with homelessness has been the Housing First initiative. What the City can’t afford are short-term fixes being the only solution,’ Raboeane said.
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Picture: Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis / Facebook