Cape Town - Hundreds of homeless people queued along the side of the Salesian Institute in Green Point on Sunday, where they went about choosing their favourite items of clothing.
Some chose shoes to replace broken pairs, others looked for winter gear.
The opportunity was possibly the only one they would get for months to come.
“People judge us as people staying on the street and they underestimate us. We come from houses also, we come from families.
“But a lot of people don’t see us like that. When they pass us, they don’t greet, they are scared.
“It’s nice to sometimes be acknowledged,” said Warda Adams, 30, who is homeless and lives on the Parade in the Cape Town city centre.
About 800 homeless people walked away with three items of clothing each when the Street Store – a pop-up shop where clothing and accessories are dropped off and the homeless choose what they want – celebrated the opening of its 200th store.
The concept has reached 140 cities across the world since its inception in January last year, but each store is open for only a day.
Adams said she had run away from home at a young age after she was sexually abused. “It’s tough to stay on the street. People get raped, people get stabbed. It was nice to pick clothes. It’s not easy for us to go in the shop. We don’t know what it is to shop.”
Street Store founder Kayli Levitan said any excess clothing would be sent to Johannesburg and Durban.
She said the idea had become successful because many wanted to do good, but didn’t know where to start.
“It’s not just a cold clothing drop. Something like this is an experience, you are a part of it and you never forget that,” she said.
Allroy Dewee, 43, originally from Mitchells Plain, lives in a shelter after he became addicted to drugs moe than a decade ago. Dewee said he has two children.
“I lost everything. Now I’m starting from scratch, but every day is a battle. I lost my family. Because of my using (drugs), I lost my job.
“I really appreciate what people are doing for us. It is the small things in life that counts, and you can’t measure this. I will wear my clothes. That’s one thing I take pride in, my appearance,” he said.
Street Store co-founder Faheem Chaudhry said: “At the heart of it is giving choice.
“Homeless people don’t have a choice – where to live, what to eat, what to wear.
“And there is dignity that’s comes with being able to choose something.”
Cape Times