World Homeless Day: Mental health, poverty driving Cape Town’s homeless crisis

World Homeless Day (10 October) raises awareness of what it means to be destitute or homeless, while working to alleviate the suffering of those experiencing homelessness.

While the Western Cape government estimates that there are over 14,000 homeless people in the Cape Town CBD, these figures continue to grow, says Shadrick Valayadum, CEO of The Haven Night Shelter.

Homelessness is caused by circumstances such as job losses, eviction, better opportunities, and most commonly, trauma.

He says many households are not equipped to deal with mental illness, and hospitals and mental institutions don’t have enough beds, so people end up on the streets.

“They become very destructive and a danger to themselves and others… mental illness plays a huge role, alongside addiction and substance abuse.”

Valayadum states that homelessness can affect anyone due to the significant financial strain on South Africa’s low and middle-income households.

“Not all homeless people are addicts, and not all addicts are homeless. We cannot criminalise them; they all have their challenges. Some have made bad decisions, some have just been dealt a very bad hand, and that has landed them on the street,” he says.

To listen to Shadrick Valayadum, CEO of The Haven Night Shelter, in conversation with CapeTalk’s Lester Kiewit, click the audio below: