Adam’s big catch

Allan Bloom said, “Education is the movement from darkness to light.” In our client’s case, education has indeed enabled light to filter through the many cracks that now holds hope. *Adam found himself on the street and with the help of our fieldworker, Tasneem Hoosain-Fielies, he found place at the City’s Safe Space in the […]

Demolishing elderly isolation

“My employer developed Alzheimer’s and was moved to a care facility, leaving me in the house, now knowing what was to become of me.” This was an end that would soon see a new beginning for *Shahieda thanks to the assistance of our fieldworker, Tasneem Hoosain-Fielies. After being a live-in domestic worker for many years, […]

A Birth that Gave Life to No Identity

We shared with you, Demolishing Elderly Isolation, the story of *Shahieda whose future became very uncertain when her live-in-domestic services were no longer needed, and the property she lived in was being demolished. Can you imagine finding yourself homeless at the age of 67? Shahieda has experienced more than her fair share of trauma – […]

64 – We ADVOCATE for THIS Number

“Through all the confusion glimmers hope as little bits of truths are shared as he slips in, and out, of reality, or rather, a world that I can relate to. I find it easy to speak to him, and he is willing to accept my help.” The words of our fieldworker reflecting on one of […]

Homeless not hopeless

Imagine losing the keys to your Mercedes Benz, and having them returned to you by two homeless men in the CBD! Meet our clients Jack* and John*. Unable to afford rent, they became homeless and sought refuge in the mountains above Cape Town. The car owner was so grateful to them that he gave them […]

Moving forward and upward

Imagine receiving a call from someone to tell you how amazingly well your client is doing after leaving the streets and finding employment in another province? This is what happened to our fieldworker, Tasneem Hoosain-Fielies, who worked tirelessly with *Thokozani while he was homeless in Cape Town. *Thokozani is one of the few clients of […]

Kicking addiction to the kerb

“Determination on the streets is quite important since being clean on the streets is one of the most difficult things to do,” says our fieldworker, Tasneem Hoosain-Fielies, with great pride, as she reflects on *Steve’s journey to sobriety at the age of 26. His life, like many of our clients’, has not been easy. Drugs […]

Admittance, the First Step to Sobriety

Addiction, an invisible noose that some of our clients live with every day. Slacking the noose is no easy feat when your drug of choice, in a sense, enables surviving the harsh and unsafe conditions of street life. If you think adequate shelter is a challenge for a homeless person, then image what it must […]

Exit Plans – The Stumbling Block for GBV on the Streets

A woman who has been brutally attacked seeks assistance for safety. Severely traumatised, she is told she CANNOT access support services due to NOT meeting the GBV (Gender-Based-Violence) safety placement requirements of having an exit plan (a home to go to) after her time in a safe house. What is the exit plan when you […]

Tearing Up the Streets of Hope AND Desolation

It has been a year since South Africa went into lockdown. A year that gave birth to both hope and desolation for many on the streets, that double-edge sword of the lives that we interact with daily. We celebrated the many lives of those fighting to survive on the streets, and the realisation of The […]