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People living on the streets of Fish Hoek have almost doubled in the past two years, from 68 cases to an estimated 120 homeless persons to date.
This is according to Johann Kikillus, director at Soteria Ministries.
Kikillus was speaking at a community meeting on Tuesday 23 August regarding homelessness in the area.
“Back in September 2020, 68 people were living on the streets of Fish Hoek, and today I am told that the figure is estimated to be around 120, so it’s almost doubled.
“Every week, we see new faces. Thankfully, some of the more vulnerable people from two years ago have been put into places of safety. I’m really grateful for that.”
According to Kikillus, homelessness requires its own unique approach to assist each individual.
But how do people end up living on the streets?
“The truly homeless in Fish Hoek are the people who do not have the income to afford accommodation. What we have seen in the past two years is expected to mushroom in the next five years because of our current economic climate.”
Kikillus adds that often people end up homeless due to mental illness and running away from a volatile home life.
“One of the challenges I see is that our health system in Cape Town, the Western Cape and the rest of the country is unable to cope with the group of people in mental health. It has become really bad. False Bay Hospital, for instance, where I was involved for a while, they can only keep people for observation for 72 hours and (only) if there is a bed available. More often than not, there isn’t.
“I have tried Lentegeur and Valkenberg and waited six to eight months to find a bed for someone. Unfortunately, they end up back on the streets. This is a global problem.”
In other cases, mothers end up on the streets with their children to try and escape volatile situations in the home.
“This category I call runaways and what I deal with mostly. Teenagers and young adults often have to escape their very volatile home life. The challenge we have is the shortage of beds and shelters and safe houses, so they have nowhere to go.”
Others who end up on the streets Kikkilus call “temporary street dwellers” who have migrated from other areas to look for refuge.
“People migrate from Ocean View to Fish Hoek or from Lavender Hill, Steenberg and Retreat to Fish Hoek. They spend time here because they’ve been kicked out of their own house for whatever reason or they have been forced to work on the streets, like prostitutes in Fish Hoek or people who come here with criminal intent.”
A large number of street people are addicts, he adds. “They often resort to crime and anti-social behaviour to get their drug of choice. I see it every day.
“The last category which is also mushrooming is gangsters. Gangs either come here because they are looking to take over turf or they come here to ‘cool off’. We often find gunmen hiding out here, from Lavender Hill and Ocean View.”
He says the first step to addressing the homeless issue in Fish Hoek is to stop handing out money and food.
“What never works is handing out money. Today I saw a very nice person give a bag of nappies to a guy I know who has no children. Nappies, milk formula, jackets, sleeping bags and blankets can be traded for drugs.
“This makes people angry when I say this but handing out food simply enables addicts and those who come here with criminal intent.”
Jean-Ray Knighton Fitt, Director at U-turn Homeless Ministries, says they believe in rehabilitating people and creating pathways out of homelessness.
The organisation works with a four-phase approach to allow street people to permanently change their lives and come off the streets.
“Along with the encouragement to join a life-changing programme, they do group work, and interact one-on-one with counsellors. “It’s not a quick thing, for some people they are ready in a few weeks and others it may take years.
“What we found is that you can’t force people, they just go back to the streets.”
Once a homeless person is ready to get off the streets there are U-turn service centres across the city that can assist.
“Once a person is ready, we move them to phase two which is our rehab support.
“We will put them into a shelter and a rehab programme and we will get them through the programme and keep them busy.
“After four to six months and once they gained the sobriety and gained the tools, we move them into phase three, our work-readiness phase and people receive ongoing intensive group therapy.“
They learn practical skills, computer literacy, learn how to drive and, thirdly, are placed into a real working environment.”
Instead of handing out food or cash to street people, the organisation advises the public to purchase Mi-change vouchers which the homeless can redeem for food, clothing or a hot shower. “At U-turn, we favour a voucher system that is linked to basic needs and professional help that when you give it to someone, it helps them take that journey off the streets.
“A voucher can start that journey and give that person a future.”
- For more information on the Mi-change vouchers visit https://michange.org/
