300-bed Safe Space shelter approved for Cape Town CBD

Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis welcomed the approval of City plans to open a 300-bed Safe Space shelter to help more people off the streets in the CBD. This brings the total Safe Space beds to around 780, including the two facilities operating at Culemborg in the east CBD.

The Municipal Planning Tribunal has approved plans for the Safe Space, with the appeals phase now also concluded.

The Safe Space will operate on a portion of municipal depot land in Ebenezer Road, Green Point, with operations set to begin early next year.

Cape Town Mayor, Geordin Hill-Lewis said accepting social assistance to get off the streets is the best choice for dignity, health, and well-being. However, offers of help to get off the streets have been refused.

“The City will spend R230 million over three years to operate Safe Spaces and expand these transitional shelters beyond the CBD and Bellville, as part of the most comprehensive suite of ‘care interventions’ of any metro in South Africa,” said Mayor Hill-Lewis.

Apart expanding Safe Spaces, the City is also supporting NPOs to do the same, including contributing to a 63% bed boost to the CBD’s Haven Night Shelter, expanding this facility from 96 to 156 beds. During the winter, several NGOs added 300 more temporary bed spaces to cope with additional shelter demand.

In total, the City’s Street People programme budget amounts to R94.75 million for 23/24, a 23% increase from 22/23 as the only metro dedicating a social development budget to this critical issue.

 

Done by: Esona Mfazwe