Cape Town – The George temporary homeless shelter has been closed, after being in operation for 98 days, accommodating 82 homeless people.
Leading up the closure of the Rosemoor Stadium site earlier this month, officials spent as much time as possible reuniting individuals with their families locally or elsewhere in South Africa, with a small group that remained relocated to other permanent shelter centres in George and the southern Cape.
The George Municipality’s community development section initiated and co-ordinated the creation of a temporary shelter at Rosemoor Stadium in March, with its Land Invasion Unit and police assisting in transporting homeless people to the shelter.
All arrivals were screened for Covid-19 by the Department of Health
and given food, hygiene packs and a place to sleep, with mattresses donated by the George Night Shelter and a local school.
The municipality said community development officials worked tirelessly, seven days a week with the Department of Social Development and other organisations to feed, shelter and entertain the residents.
According to the municipality’s social development manager, Sophia Fanelo, for the past three months her team worked with Meals on Wheels and Christian Relieve Ministries for the homeless in George and provided close to 25 000 meals as well as personal and other supplies and support programmes to the homeless within the shelter.
Fanelo said doctors came to the shelter to treat those who were dependent on drugs.
Medical staff who assisted with the people during their stay at Rosemoor Stadium have committed themselves to still deliver their services to these people at their new places of safety, the municipality said.
The municipality said it would now repair the stadium for sports activities to resume.
Meanwhile, mayoral comittee member for health, Zahid Badroodien, said the City of Cape Town had not had any follow-up contact with the people who were placed in
alternative shelters following their
stay at the Strandfontein temporary shelter, “as they would have been placed in the care of the NGOs running the shelters”.
The shelter was closed in May.
“The persons who were placed in quarantine are among a group who were earmarked for shelter at the Culemborg Expansion site. Our Street People Reintegration Unit continues to offer assistance to persons living on the streets, as part of their mandate.”
The City earlier this week signed a memoranda of agreement with a number of organisations who work with the most vulnerable groups in the city, cementing a partnership which will see the organisations receiving R20 million in aid funding.