Durban - About 2000 people sleep rough in Durban and another 2000 spend the night in low-grade shelters, according to a Human Science Research Council (HSRC) survey commissioned by the eThekwini Municipality.
The survey found that most of Durban’s homeless people were from KwaZulu-Natal and came in search of work, but could not find any.
The survey also revealed that only 10% were foreigners.
During a discussion held on Thursday by the recently formed Homeless Task Team, which is made up of members from non-governmental and faith-based organisations as well as provincial government and the city council, NGOs said shelters should be regulated.
They said private shelters were costly yet the service and living conditions were poor.
The cost to sleep in a shelter ranges between R50 and R150 per night and many of the homeless could not afford the amount because they were unemployed. This led to people opting to sleep on the streets.
Apart from being unable to afford to sleep in a shelter, the homeless also complained about police harassment.
Bongani Madida of the Homeless Forum said they were ill-treated by the metro police because of the stigma attached to them.
“It’s not all of us who are taking drugs and doing crime in the city. We are also normal people and we are looking for jobs to change our lives.
“But it’s getting frustrating when you are roughly approached by the police while you are trying to survive.
“I think the city and residents need to understand that we did not choose to be homeless and we need all the support from them in order to get out of the situation,” he said.
Vashti Downs of Hopes Anchor said unregulated shelters led to the increase in the number of people sleeping on the street.
Her organisation provides health care for homeless women and children. Downs said she witnessed the unhygienic conditions people were subjected to.
“Some prefer to live on the streets than in the shelters because of the sexual and physical abuse they are subjected to in shelters.
“There is no one checking on these shelters and most of them are non-compliant in terms of health and safety. As an NGO we help as many people as we can but it’s up to the municipality to use its powers to control the situation. We believe that if the city looked into the state of shelters, a lot could be done for the homeless people,” she said.
Jadie-Lee Donnison of the Grace Family Church agreed with Downs.
She said shelters managed by NGOs were more efficient and cost-effective compared to private shelters.
“We are already providing food and shelter for a number of people but it is not enough considering the number of people who are still sleeping on the streets. We want the city to give us derelict buildings which we can turn into shelters for the homeless.
“I think as NGOs we have the capacity but we need the municipality to come on board,” she said.
Deputy mayor Fawzia Peer, who chairs the task team, said the city had no jurisdiction to monitor private shelters, but she said the city was working towards closing down non-complaint shelters through their health and safety units.
She said the city had its own plans to assist the homeless.
“The city is currently planning to open a Qalakahle (start afresh) centre where we would assist homeless people with basic needs.
“These are people who are looking to change their lives, we will work closely with NGOs and create decent shelters to reduce the figure.
“The city is also planning to engage with social development and human settlements to acquire more buildings from them,” said Peer.