City of Cape Town create employment for homeless over festive season

Destitute poverty homeless beggar South Africa

Photo Credit: Pexels

The City of Cape Town’s early Christmas gift to 80 street people and 20 parolees this year is a hand up in the form of temporary employment.

This forms part of the City’s Expanded Public Works Programme and is aimed at restoring dignity and reintegrating those on the street back into society.

The City of Cape Town is providing 100 job opportunities to street people and parolees over the festive season and well into the new year as part of its Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP).

The initiative was launched in November 2017 for 80 street people living in shelters. They are working as assistants at their shelters doing cooking, cleaning and general maintenance as part of the EPWP opportunity that will continue until the end of June 2018.

‘The City’s EPWP aims to help facilitate and create employment opportunities for those residents who are in need of financial relief. At the same time, it facilitates the development of practical work experience,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security; and Social Services, Alderman JP Smith.

The City has created more than 100 000 work opportunities through the EPWP since 2011 and has set a target of 45 000 work opportunities for the current financial year.

‘Being employed doesn’t just restore dignity and keep people off the street. It helps build confidence and self-esteem, which is important to those who often feel forgotten this time of year. It also gives them an opportunity to provide for their families. Although these are short-term jobs, the work provides some relief and increases the person’s employment eligibility,’ said Alderman Smith.

The street people who were selected to be part of the programme were identified with the assistance of 17 participating shelters and the City’s Street People Reintegration Unit.

In addition, some 20 parolees have been employed through the EPWP cleaning and rehabilitation programme and they are managed by the Department of Correctional Services. They are doing street cleaning and gardening in areas identified by the Department of Correctional Services.

The City provides a stipend to parolees with the main aim of preventing them from ending up on the street.

‘Creating employment is just one way the City is giving vulnerable groups a hand up. This is in line with our Organisational Development and Transformation Plan in which the City aims to provide economic opportunities for all,’ said Alderman Smith.