Homeless man finds hope after 30 years on the streets

It was a significant moment for a man who has been homeless and living on the streets for the past 30 years to be placed in a shelter and start rebuilding his life.

This was thanks to the efforts of the Sea Point City Improvement District (CID) and their field officer, known as Pedro Bosch.

The field officer had been working behind the scenes for the past five years with the man, who cannot be identified, due to the sensitive nature of his circumstances.

According to Heather Tager, chief operations officer of the Sea Point CID, the man is now set to own an identity document and will even be able to get a government grant.

She explained that the patience of the field worker earned the man's trust, who agreed to move to a shelter.

“The gentleman in question who was on the streets for 30 years was offered assistance by our previous field officers,” said Tager.

“Pedro, our current field worker, started working with him five years ago, engaging with him daily. 

“He was a difficult character who would not engage in the beginning and was most unapproachable. 

“Pedro persevered, showing him that there was more to life than being on the streets. We are happy to say that eventually it culminated with him agreeing to being assisted and placed in a shelter.”

Tager said Bosch works tirelessly with the homeless.

 “Pedro, who was appointed as the CID’s field worker five years ago, consults daily with the homeless within the CID area, offering an alternative to their current situation. 

“He also assists should medical care be needed, as well as assisting with ID documents and application for grants if eligible. 

“Often, when a client requests assistance with regards to substance abuse, a process is followed for the client to get into a programme.

"We try to reunite the client with a family that has been successful in the past.”

Tager added that in their efforts to find a place of safety for street children, approximately 20 have been assisted since January, including a mother and two. 

“Unfortunately, there is a huge gap in the system as the kids come back on the streets,” she explained.

“We have various stakeholders that assist and contribute to the success of the programme.

“Under the current law, the Sea Point CID, along with any private security company, has no authority to handle street children, as they are protected under the Child Protection Act. "

Esther Lewis, of the Department of Social Development (DSD), said there were over 2 300 bed spaces and 35 shelters across the province to house the homeless.

"The subsidies include funding for a social worker post at each shelter, nutrition, and operational costs,” she said. 

“The department provides access to services inside shelters. One of the services provided inside shelters is reunification service,  reunifying people with their families  as well as referrals to other services, for example. counselling, substance use disorder treatment, referrals, etc."

Get your news on the go, click here to join the Cape Argus News WhatsApp channel.

Cape Argus