Social media is buzzing about the Hermanus Night Shelter – most of it rather negative.
The chairperson of the Hermanus Night Shelter, Les Abbott, told Hermanus Times he felt the need to provide the following comment to put what has been said in perspective.
“Well over 15 years ago, a group of concerned citizens here in Hermanus got together to seek assistance from the municipality and the general public to build a night shelter for the many homeless people in our community. This long quest culminated finally in the construction of the shelter, which opened its doors in May this year, for up to 32 homeless people in our community.
“I need to state that all the people who have offered their services over the years to get the shelter built have no qualifications or experience in dealing with homeless people, but simply have a heart for the homeless.”
The sole purpose of the shelter is to give the homeless of the community an opportunity to get off the street at night and give them a bed, shower and washing facilities and a good meal.
“This has been achieved and the Governing Body is extremely grateful to all who have assisted us in getting it all done,” Abbott said. “At this point I need to state the Hermanus Night Shelter, along with all the other night shelters around the country, is simply what the title states. It is a night shelter for homeless people, run according to the same rules that apply to all the shelters around the country.
“It is not a hotel for folk visiting Hermanus to get a cheap stay with a meal and shower facilities. The maximum period that anyone can stay in any of the shelters is three months. In that time each person has access to a social worker who will attempt to assist them with getting ID documents or social grants, and also to try and get them back with family or relatives and deal with whatever personal difficulties or addictions that they may have.”
He makes it clear that what happens at the end of the three-month stay is that many of the residents move to a shelter in another town and stay there for three months before moving on again.
“We have been criticised in the recent past for making homeless people, particularly elderly females, move on at the end of their three-month stay and I need to clarify the position of the shelter management on this issue.
“We have in fact revised our rules to extend the stay for a very limited period for certain individuals, with strict rules again applying to them. We cannot, however, make this concession available to everyone or we would be inundated with homeless people from all over the province.
“We as the shelter Governing Body are managing the shelter as best we can. But now we need others to start the process of walking with deserving homeless people after they leave the shelter, to help them reintegrate into society. Anyone who has a heart for the homeless and is willing to get involved in such a venture is more than welcome to come and talk to us.”
