New Home for Cape Town Street Children

NEED

Many of the overwhelming challenges facing South Africa today are due to the debilitating effects of poverty. Violent crime, drug abuse, child abuse and HIV/AIDS are just some of the symptoms of poverty that affect all South Africans, whether rich or poor. These symptoms have penetrated into the most private, most precious part of our society: our families, and consistently threaten the most valuable, most vulnerable part of our families: our children.

Khayelitsha is one of the biggest townships in South Africa and has been identified as one of the Presidential Poverty Nodes, areas characterised by poverty where development is an urgent priority. Parents in Khayelitsha face a daily struggle with widespread unemployment, a lack of education or skills and low self esteem. Their children frequently are often exposed to social and family violence, sexual abuse, drug abuse and the daily desperation that comes from having nobody to turn to.

Eventually some of these children end up living on the streets of Cape Town. For over 25 years, the Homestead has been focussed on developing and implementing sustainable, holistic solutions to the problem of street children in the City of Cape Town.

OVERVIEW

In order to further their work, The Homestead intends to build a Child and Youth Care Centre in Khayelitsha. The proposed centre will house an Early Intervention Centre, a Social Work and Counselling Centre, residential care for 75 boys between the ages of six and 18 and a Community Hall, which will potentially double as the base of the successful Ubunye Beadworks job creation project. The site also provides far more space for boys to play safely outdoors.

The centre will replace the current residential care centre, which is housed in a building that The Homestead is renting from the Child Welfare Society. The rent is prohibitive, the building is in a poor state of repair, and the dormitory-style accommodation is less than adequate for the effective development of the boys. The new centre will create be based on an age appropriate developmental model, where boys are housed in separate ‘cottages’ according to age-specific groups.

WHAT WE LIKE ABOUT THIS PROJECT

• The Homestead has a long track record of working with street children, and has been recognised by the Department of Social Development as a model of best practice.
• The Homestead strives to provide sustainable solutions that prioritise returning children to their families and communities.
• The Homestead has contracted outsourced the project management to SASDI, an organisation that specialises in developing and implementing high impact social investment projects.

IMPACT HIGHLIGHTS

This project will be of direct benefit to the 75 boys who will live in the residential care facility and their relatives, the children and families that are worked with through the early intervention programme, and those who are part of the Ubunye Beadworks income generation project. In total, the project thus has a direct impact on the lives of approximately 520 beneficiaries a year. Estimated cost per direct life change is R1,923.

In addition, the new centre has been designed to have a positive impact on the environment. Initiatives include planting a vegetable garden, using raintwater tanks and recycling grey water, installing solar-powered geysers, ensuring that the buildings are properly insulated and designed in a way that takes advantage of natural light and ventilation.

Finally, the community hall will provide a much needed space in Site B, Khayelitsha, that can be used by community-based organisations. There is a great demand for this kind of space in the area, and it will also assist in integrating the centre into the community.

ORGANISATIONAL CAPACITY

The Homestead has an extensive track record. It is the longest-running organisation specialising in working with street children in the country. It has been recognised by the Department of Social Development as a model of best practice, and has been intstrumental in helping similar organisations establish programmes in other parts of the country. The organisation has a clear, well thought-out strategy for achieving their social mission, with a number of clearly defined programmes each with their own objectives.

The Homestead’s approach has been developed over 25 years of working with street children, and continues to rely primarily on the insights of their outreach workers, who are the first point of contact with the children. These outreach workers are also a valuable resource for research, and through their regular reports, The Homestead is able to keep track of trends and developments affecting street children and their families.

While generally The Homestead has sufficient resources to meet its needs, it would benefit from taking on some new staff. Without an increase in funding, however, this is unlikely. The organisation is also quite heavily dependent on their director for strategic planning and management, and should consider identifying and grooming a potential replacement.

PROJECT PROFILE

Key Strengths

• Concept: The new centre will provide more appropriate accommodation and give The Homestead the infrastructure they require to improve the quality of their service
• Design: The new centre is designed to strengthen all aspects of The Homestead’s work, including residential care, counselling, early intervention and income generation.
• Capability: Contracting a project management team that specialise in high social impact projects ensures that the project has the appropriate expertise.
• Control: The Homestead and SASDI have engaged with all stakeholders at all different levels – from provincial government and the city council, down to the Khayelitsha Business Forum and even going door-to-door to explain the project to people living near the new site.
• Sustainability: The new residential facility will better prepare boys for life outside of The Homestead by housing them in age appropriate accommodation. This allows The Homestead to increase the responsibilities of the older boys, allowing them to cook, clean and budget for themselves.

Key Risks - Low

• Concept: This is a large capital project requiring a large financial commitment. However, the Homestead and their partner, SASDI, have already managed to raise more than two-thirds of the amount required for the project.
• External: As the AIDS pandemic matures, there are likely to be an increasing number of orphaned children in South Africa. This could lead to more children ending up on the streets, which would stretch the limited resources of the Homestead even further. The increased number of foreign people moving to South Africa, and uncertainty over what impact the 2010 World Cup might have, are also areas of concern for The Homestead.