MISSION TO HOUSE THE HOMELESS IN CAPE TOWN

Non-profit organisation Streetscape hopes to buy City properties

- GENEVIEVE SERRA

THE streets of Cape Town are believed to be home to 14000 people. For those in Streetscape’s reintegration programme, hope shines as the organisation raises funds to purchase seven City-owned properties in the CBD for apartments.

Over the past year, the non-profit organisation, via their programmes, have helped 209 homeless people get off the streets and into accommodation.

They have reached 3500 people through daily outreach, with 150 in work readiness programmes and 30% of work graduates supported with formal employment.

Fifty percent have graduated, having successfully completed the programme.

With this success, Streetscapes now hopes to buy the City-owned units in Harrington Street, which are expected to house those who are in the programmes.

They are working hard behind the scenes with crowd-finding projects to raise R2.5 million to purchase the properties and secure an additional R2 million for renovations and eco-friendly infrastructure, including solar power systems and water treatment and conservation systems.

Jesse Laitinen, Streetscapes founder and manager, said the vision was reintegration and for the project to grow.

"We integrate these systems into all our housing projects, reducing long-term utility costs and contributing to Cape Town’s environmental sustainability by lowering the ecological footprint of our buildings."