CEO ‘s Report

30 years young and still going strong

Looking back on the last thirty years is truly remarkable. Who would have thought that from such humble beginnings, three decades later the Haven would be the leading service provider to the homeless?

We celebrate the inspiration of people such as the late Sam Gross, Father Roger Hickley and Peter Templeton. Thanks to them, today the Haven has 973 beds available for the destitute men and women still living on our streets; this year we assisted 2 539 individuals off the streets and in many cases reunited them with their families.

Partnerships

At the Haven, we focus on our core business of ’getting the homeless back home’. To this end, we build strong partnerships with the Province, City of Cape Town, Business and Community Organisations. One example is our field worker project which this year assisted 336 people off the streets. Our partnership with various supermarkets and business (who provide us with food and goods) means that our operating costs are reduced. An additional benefit is we add to the food security of the local communities, by sharing excess food with families in need, crèches, schools and old age homes.

Obstacles to reintegration

Alcohol/drug abuse and a sense of entitlement are two of the major obstacles to reintegrating people living on our streets. The first obstacle is being addressed by a pilot substance-abuse intervention programme sponsored by the City of Cape Town. For the second, the Haven addresses the sense of entitlement, by insisting that each client contribute to the maintenance, cleaning and running costs of the shelter. Any client unable to ’afford’ our services, is provided with short-term work opportunities that allow them to earn money in a dignified manner. In this way, no-one is excluded for lack of funds and we instil the habit of paying for services, which is in itself a good indicator of progress towards reintegration.

Community Involvement

The Haven encourages involvement from the communities and welcomes volunteers to assist our staff or join a shelter committee. You don’t have to be a member of the Haven to contribute to our mission. Everyone can do so by not undermining what we do. Don’t give to people begging and living on the streets; give to the Haven, so we can get people home, where we all belong.

Shelter development

The Haven has introduced norms and standards, which will lift the quality of care and service to a uniform standard in all shelters. To this end, the year ahead will see more effort expended on upgrading and expanding the Haven shelters.

Social Workers

Social workers have been designated as a national ‘scarce skill’. This makes the appointment of a social worker at each shelter quite challenging. Therefore, the Haven is making available two bursaries for staff to further their studies in social work. We look forward to their contribution in the future.

Winter response programme

The City of Cape Town, recognising the Haven’s high standard of governance and leading role in this sector, appointed us to co-ordinate their winter response programme (see page 8 for details).

Thank you

Thank you to the Haven members, volunteers, staff and supporters for all the work and prayer. Thank you to the shelter managers and staff for a job well done. Also to my colleagues at Haven Head Office, thank you for all the extra effort. A special thank you to our chairman, Michael O’Connor, the office bearers and the rest of the Board for your support and guidance. Without our collective efforts, we could not have achieved so much.