Cape Town - The City’s Social Development and Early Childhood Development Directorate has approved funding of more than R19 million to organisations assisting vulnerable groups.
About 32 non-governmental organisations serving the homeless, Early Childhood Development (ECD) centres and shelters working with survivors of gender-based violence are set to benefit from the grants-in-aid of R19 169 106 through sponsorship.
The grants-in-aid funding will assist with social upliftment programmes across the metropole.
A breakdown of the allocations include: youth involvement, R 3 189 516; people living with disabilities, R1 797 900; ECD centres, R598 000; the homeless, R7 493 690; substance abuse, R610 000; gender-based programmes, R3 160 400; and arts and culture, R 2 319 600.
Mayco member for Community Services and Health Zahid Badroodien said: “We all have a shared responsibility to assist those in need, and our community organisations play an important role.
“Last year was extremely challenging, and it’s heart-warming to see that there are so many organisations who are willing to assist our vulnerable groups in communities.
“Funding made available by the City will not only enable organisations to implement social programmes, but also build and strengthen relationships between the City and our communities,” Badroodien said.
The department has already started signing memorandums of agreement with the various organisations, to ensure that sponsorship is disbursed for the intended purposes.
Most of the funding, more than R7m, will go towards organisations assisting the homeless.
Souper Troopers, operating the Humanity Hub, executive director Kerry Hoffman said the funds would go a long way for citizen organisations impacting the lives of the homeless.
“We’d certainly be able to show the City how to support way more people than they are, through our fieldworkers, services, getting people IDs, back home, into rehab, really just taking more initiative to hear what the homeless people need and treating them with dignity.”