Homelessness: Lives caught between the streets and the system
Homelessness has been on the increase in the Cape Town CBD.
Image: Armand Hough
For thousands of people across Cape Town, life on the streets is not simply a matter of lacking shelter, it is often the result of poverty, unemployment, addiction, trauma and fragile support systems that leave many struggling to rebuild their lives.
City outreach teams recorded 36 507 engagements with people sleeping rough during the previous financial year, highlighting the scale of homelessness across the metro and the daily efforts by social workers and outreach staff to connect vulnerable residents with assistance.
Officials say rough sleeping occurs across many parts of the city, reflecting the complexity of a crisis that touches wealthy suburbs, busy transport corridors and residential neighbourhoods alike.
While authorities and community organisations are attempting new approaches to address the issue, the experiences of people living on the margins continue to reveal how difficult it can be to escape homelessness.
Beyond the immediate need for shelter, many organisations working directly with people experiencing homelessness say sustained support, rather than short-term relief, is critical.
City officials say partnerships with shelters and social organisations remain central to efforts to help people off the streets.
On Monday, Mayco Member for Community Services and Health Councillor Francine Higham visited the MES Safe Space in Bellville, one of several organisations working with the City to provide shelter and social support to people experiencing homelessness.
Francine Higham with officials from the MES Safe Space
Image: Supplied
“It was great to see first-hand the work that happens at MES. The visit was an opportunity to build on the existing partnership, but also to identify possible future opportunities to collaborate,” Higham said.
She noted that surveys and census data show rough sleeping occurs across many parts of Cape Town, making the work of organisations such as MES important in providing support and resources to vulnerable residents.
MES Cape Town branch manager Ilse Maartens said shelters are often only one part of the journey out of homelessness.
“It was such an honour to have Councillor Higham and her team visit us. We could share our history of the very first safe space in South Africa and show her all the other activities needed to give people pathways out of homelessness,” she said.
Across the city, community organisations are also experimenting with programmes aimed at reintegration rather than displacement.
In Camps Bay, the Camps Bay City Improvement District has partnered with social development organisation ignisive to run initiatives focused on rehabilitation, skills development and employment pathways.
“Our approach was based on the understanding that poverty can’t be policed away. An enforcement-only response would not have been cost-effective and would simply have resulted in displacement, effectively playing ‘musical chairs’ with individuals and pushing the problem into neighbouring areas,” said Camps Bay City Improvement District manager Muneeb Hendricks.
Through ignisive’s Give Smart Today, Help Build Tomorrow campaign, residents and visitors are encouraged to redirect donations toward structured support programmes that offer training, coaching and opportunities to re-enter the workforce.
“The two key pillars of our strategy are community regeneration and community reintegration. We think it’s important to address not only the symptomatic issues that show up on the street, but also systemic issues,” said Theresa Massaglia, founder and CEO of ignisive.
According to ignisive, dozens of participants are currently involved in its skills development programme, with many moving into permanent employment through partnerships with service providers and businesses.
For those who have taken part, the change can be life-altering.
“I want to thank ignisive very much for helping me. My life is much better than it was before, when I was sleeping on the street or behind the police station, and asking people for money,” said Mark Malgas, who now works in landscaping.
Alongside these efforts, the City is developing a digital system known as the Street People Data Management System to better track outreach engagements, referrals and reintegration programmes.
Officials say the system is intended to help coordinate support services, monitor outcomes and improve planning as Cape Town continues searching for long-term solutions to homelessness.
But for many people still living on Cape Town’s streets, the path out of homelessness remains uncertain, shaped by the availability of support, the strength of community partnerships and the resilience of individuals trying to rebuild their lives.
In February, the City opened applications for its 2026 Winter Readiness Programme. Applications close on March 31, and we encourage all interested parties to apply. More information is available here: https://bit.ly/4sC3s4K