Various stakeholders from across the Free State have joined hands to combat the spread of Covid-19 by providing not only shelter for hundreds of homeless people but also instituting different measures to care for them.
According to Media and Parliamentary Officer for the Department of Social Development, Kgothatso Mokoena, the camps were set up in the Free State as a prevention and mitigating strategy to combat the spread of Covid-19, following the president’s declaration of the Coronavirus pandemic as a national disaster.
With the camps in place, a basket of services are being offered to those in need such as safe temporary accommodation, three meals daily, individual mattresses, blankets, vanity packs and screening for Covid-19. Continuous psychosocial support (comprehensive counselling) is also being offered to the homeless as well as rehabilitation, daily exercises, sewing classes for women, medical assistance as well as games and spiritual counselling services.
“Saving lives and ensuring the social welfare for our communities are among the key aspirations of the department. Homeless people do not have homes and since every person was expected to be confined to his or her place of residence, it was important for the Department of Social Development to facilitate protective measures to help the homeless from being infected by the virus,” said Mokoena.
According to her, setting up shelters for the homeless is a joint exercise by different stakeholders – from municipalities, who are responsible for identifying and availing sites to be used as temporary shelters, to the Department of Social Development, which provides psychosocial support and care services in partnership with South African Social Security Agency (Sassa), which is responsible for the daily provision of food parcels and basic hygiene products.
The South African Police Services are responsible for identifying homeless people roaming the streets while the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs is responsible for ensuring that municipalities avail buildings for conversion into shelters, making sure that shelters and premises are maintained, sanitised and cleaned, as well as providing security. Other stakeholders such as Red Cross, National Development Agency (NDA), civil societies, business people, faith-based organisations and more, are also on board and helping in various forms by providing hot meals, mattresses and helping volunteers during this time.
Mokoena has urged the public to report a homeless person to their nearest police station and not attempt to remove any homeless person from the streets as some can become aggressive. If you have contacted your nearest police station, remember to provide the exact location where the person was seen, with a description of the person, e.g. clothing. The Mangaung Metro has four shelters, Dezile Dabi 3, Lejweleputswa 2 and Thabo Mofutsanyana 2.
Pierce van Heerden
