[Image: James Hopkirk / CC]
Winter is approaching fast, and the evenings have turned quite nippy over the past few weeks. While most of us deal by pulling out electric blankets or down duvets, for those living on the streets, bedtime often means nothing more than a cardboard box and a worn-out blanket.
For Cape Town’s many homeless, there are few options but to face Cape Town winter nights under a tree on Buitengracht Street, and that’s why the A Night on the Streets campaign was created.
Hoping to raise awareness about the harsh realities faced by people experiencing homelessness, the campaign challenges those of us with warm homes and cosy beds to step into their freezing curbside bedrooms, just for one night.
Organised by U-Turn Ministries, the initiative invites individuals, families, schools, churches, businesses, and community leaders to spend a night outdoors — not only to understand the struggle but also to stand in solidarity with the vulnerable members of our city.
In the process, they hope to raise R1 million for U-Turn’s safe space accommodation that keeps people off the street at night.
U-Turn will be hosting an exclusive in-person experience for just 30 people at BMW on Claremont Main Road, where you’ll hear powerful stories and connect directly with the cause. Tickets for this event are R10,000 each, with all proceeds going to U-Turn’s safe space accommodation.
For those who want to join the experience from their backyards or balconies, a virtual ticket costs just R100.
“By going through even a small part of what people experiencing homelessness face every night, we hope to spark greater empathy, deeper understanding, and real action. By giving up the comfort of your bed for one night, you’ll be helping someone else take the first step toward lasting change,” said U-Turn CEO Jean-Ray Knighton Fitt.
U-Turn communication manager Stephen Underwood said with over 30,000 people homeless in Cape Town and Johannesburg metros combined, their goal is to engage hearts and minds, dismantle common misconceptions and remind South Africans that homelessness is seldom a choice. Rather, it’s often the result of circumstances like trauma, addiction, poverty or systemic failure.
” U-turn helps hundreds of people transition from life on the streets to stability and employment through its innovative rehabilitation programme, which includes the provision of basic needs, substance abuse recovery, life-skills training, work readiness and long-term reintegration. Funds raised through the sleep-out will go directly toward these services.”
Last year, U-Turn raised just over R800,000 and used the funds to deliver 28,000 services, provide 14,000 hot meals, collect 1 000 blankets, provided more than 6 000 nights off the street and 6 800 hot showers.
“This year we launched the campaign on Wednesday, April 2, and so far we have raised just less than R400 000 – we are hoping to raise R1 million by May 17.”
Participants can sign up individually or as part of a group, with schools, churches and companies all encouraged to host their own sleep-outs. If you’re a parent, this might be a great time to teach your children empathy and to be thankful for what they have by bedding down in the garden with them.
To join the movement or find out more, visit www.homeless.org.za/night-out or contact Stephen Underwood at stephen@homeless.org.za.
[Source: Southern Suburbs Tatler]
