Durban - The non-governmental organisation Homeless Network together with the Msunduzi Municipality are working to address the problem of the growing number of homeless people living in the city.
Msunduzi mayor Mzimkhulu Thebolla, Speaker Eunice Majola, Municipal Manager Lulamile Mapholoba and deputy mayor Mxolisi Mkhize conducted an assessment of a homeless shelter that is being prepared that is situated at 30 Doull Road in the city.
If all goes according to plan, some homeless people will be moved into the shelter by September. Mkhize said all these efforts are being made following an uproar over the growing number of homeless people in the city who are damaging municipal infrastructure in the CBD.
He said: “We have witnessed impressive developments in this shelter, in the coming days the municipality will sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the Homeless Network, in that way we expect more organisations and people to offer donations or any other assistance that will keep the shelter going.”
Mkhize said that a lot of people had their eye on the municipality to see if the project would succeed as it was the first of its kind in Pietermaritzburg. The officials are optimistic that around September the first group of people living on the streets will be moved into the shelter.
A representative from the Homeless Network gave officials a detailed report on the latest development of the project.
The shelter will house 70 males and 50 females in separate buildings for phase 1, and there is a section where vagrants will be kept for 28 days while they are enrolled in a programme that will determine if they are committed to starting the rehabilitation process, which will accommodate 250 people. In total, the building will accommodate 370 people.