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IOL News
19-05-2025
- General
- IOL News
How NGOs are helping to restore the dignity of the homeless
IOL spoke to local NGOs on the work they are doing for the homeless in the community Image: U-Turn Facebook The issue of homelessness is a harrowing reality for many in South Africa, where recent statistics from StatsSA reveal that the number of homeless individuals has soared to over 55,000. Faced with this escalating crisis, various non-profit organisations (NPOs) are stepping in to offer support and solutions that go beyond mere temporary relief. In an effort to understand the challenges and the support systems available, IOL spoke to representatives from two prominent NPOs, U-turn and New Hope SA, who are actively working to change the narrative around homelessness in South Africa. Stephen Underwood, from U-turn based in Cape Town, articulated a transformative framework designed to empower individuals and communities. 'For us, it's all about overcoming homelessness. It's not a 'soup and a blanket' approach that just provides welfare. It's a phased journey that takes clients from struggling, often with substance abuse and living on the street, to being sober, employed, and housed,' he explains. The U-turn programme is structured in four distinct phases aimed at guiding homeless individuals through a comprehensive recovery path. Homeless shelter beds A homeless safe space in Durbanville equipped with 40 beds. Photo: File Image: File Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. 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Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ Get your news on the go, click here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel. The first phase, known as Change Readiness, focuses on meeting basic needs while establishing a foundation of trust. Clients receive essential items—such as meals, clothing, and temporary shelter—through a voucher system. This exchange helps initiate a relationship between clients and their case managers, forming the basis for further intervention. In the second phase, Rehabilitation, individuals are referred to substance abuse treatment centres. U-turn not only covers the costs but also manages the logistics of these referrals, making it easier for clients to access the help they need during this critical period of recovery. Work Readiness marks the third phase, during which clients transition into structured employment training. U-turn operates several social enterprises, including charity shops and a nursery, where clients gain work experience, learn practical skills, receive stipends, and gradually build self-confidence. The final phase, Deep Therapy, addresses the psychological and emotional roots of homelessness. Through targeted therapy and support, clients are guided to understand and manage the deeper issues that may hinder long-term stability, ensuring they are prepared for sustainable employment and independent living. 'If you get someone sober and you get them a job and a house, if you don't deal with that root cause, you'll end up struggling in the future again. Our therapy is trying to deal with that root cause, that trauma and the issues that cause someone to become homeless in the first place,' Underwood explains. The length of this comprehensive journey typically spans one to two years, culminating in clients securing stable employment and independent housing. In alignment with this holistic approach, New Hope SA operates a second-phase residential programme tailored specifically for men transitioning off the streets. Dylan Groep, a representative from New Hope SA, emphasised the importance of a structured approach to reintegration. 'They have to be clean for three months before joining our programme. We want to take a holistic approach, helping them discover their potential and re-engage with society,' he states. New Hope SA requires candidates to meet specific criteria before joining, including an interview and an assessment by a social worker. Once admitted, participants receive comprehensive support such as counselling and mentorship. Groep notes that although many of these men face serious challenges, they also possess untapped potential that the programme seeks to cultivate and empower. As South Africa grapples with the complex issue of homelessness, organisations like U-turn and New Hope SA are pioneering essential programmes that not only offer immediate assistance but also foster long-term reintegration into society. Their innovative approaches highlight that combating homelessness requires more than temporary fixes; it demands a dedicated commitment to transforming lives. IOL Get your news on the go, click here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel.
IOL News
18-05-2025
- General
- IOL News
What it truly means to break the cycle
Homeless people living in Cape Town Homelessness is a problem that affects many South Africans. Photo: Brendan Magaar/African News Agency (ANA) Image: Brendan Magaar/African News Agency (ANA) Breaking the cycle of homelessness requires more than just temporary shelter — it demands a holistic, sustained approach that addresses addiction, employment, and housing stability. In South Africa, where homelessness is a growing concern, non-profit organisations like U-turn and New Hope SA are proving that transformation is possible through structured, long-term support. IOL spoke to NPOs U-turn and New Hope SA to get a better understanding at what success stories look like as they help homeless South Africans off the street. For both organisations, it was about making sure that individuals were able to stand on their own two feet before they graduated from the programmes. Video Player is loading. 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'All our clients graduate sober, employed and housed,' states U-turn's Stephen Underwood. 'If they haven't found a job, they don't graduate. If they haven't found housing, they don't graduate. We keep them in the programme until they've achieved those outcomes. 'It's not time-based. It's not like you've got one year to do it, if you don't, 'bad luck'. Some fly through in nine months, some take three years. We walk them through the journey for as long as it takes; until they are employed and housed, and they must obviously remain sober. 'All of our graduates complete the programme sober, employed and housed. We follow up long term, and over 80% maintain those outcomes, which is the challenge in homelessness. It's about helping people long term without them slipping back into substance abuse of homelessness.' According to New Hope SA's Dylan Groep, they took a different approach in defining a success story. 'Success could be slightly different for each individual. For some people. It might be reintegrating with their family. They might not have found permanent work yet, but they are reintegrating with their family. For some, that's not possible because that could be a trigger or a trauma situation,' says Groep. 'One of our most recent success stories is Samuel. He started out with us two years ago. When he was in the programme, he had a massive accident and we didn't know if he was going to make it. He recovered and had a big turning point in his life. He went through the programme and took a good look at himself, put in a lot of work and eventually became one of our programme supervisors. That was cool because he understood where the guys come from and what it means to be on the recovery and healing journey. He's currently working on a cruise ship and he's now up in Northern Europe.' Another of their former clients is married with children, and also works in assisting the homeless. But, while they have success stories, some cases don't work out for the best. 'There are guys who leave the programme, or just change their cellphone numbers.' 'There are good stories. But inbetween, there are a lot of difficult stories that provide learnings for us as an organisation. But, when looking at the success rates, there are more people who don't finish the programme than those who do. But, we believe that if we make a difference in one person's life, you impact the family and the community that persons comes from, so we believe in that.' IOL Get your news on the go, click here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel.
IOL News
18-05-2025
- Business
- IOL News
Funding challenges for organisations tackling homelessness
Homeless shelter A file picture of a U-Turn shelter in Claremont, Cape Town. Image: File Funding is a huge issue when it comes to helping South Africans off the streets, especially in today's challenging economic and political climate — both locally and globally. On the other side of the world, the United States government recently undertook a round of federal spending cuts, and one of the agencies affected by the budget reductions was the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). For U-turn, that's had a real impact. Detailing the challenges they face with funding, Stephen Underwood of U-turn said the unpredictability of income is a constant struggle. Get your news on the go, click here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad Loading 'Sometimes the government will fund us, and the next year it drops, and we're struggling,' said Underwood. 'And because we've built our programme based on the funding from the previous year, we end up having to close centres. That's the biggest challenge — the variability of funding. 'We had a grant from USAID that was cancelled at the start of this year. It's things like that you don't foresee. Suddenly, you're stripped of funding.' Fortunately, the organisation has a network of private individuals who offer financial support. 'We also get money from grants and trusts, and we do fundraisers. Our social enterprises bring in revenue, which helps as well. We run a chain of shops that sell pre-loved clothing. That's where our clients work during their work-readiness phase, and it raises about 50% of our income each year. So that means we don't have to rely solely on donations in phase three.' Dylan Groep of New Hope SA says they rely on donations from private individuals — some giving as little as R120 — as well as support from the city. 'Every little bit goes towards sustaining our programme. It's expensive. If you look at what homelessness costs, it's a lot. To reintegrate someone into society, to help with their medical bills, feed them, house them — it's costly. And we have passionate staff who also need to be paid. They need to eat, their families need to eat.' To truly reduce homelessness, Groep believes more needs to be done at the national level. 'Building safe spaces doesn't address the issue. What is the cause? Why are people homeless? The countries that have successfully reduced homelessness have tackled it at that level. I don't think we've adequately addressed it — not at a national or local level. There is some movement, but I don't think it's enough. If you look at the safe spaces in Cape Town, they're definitely in need of an upgrade.' While U-turn and New Hope SA continue to change lives with limited resources, their efforts highlight a deeper truth: the fight against homelessness cannot be left to non-profits alone. It requires consistent, long-term investment from both government and the private sector, as well as policy shifts that address root causes like mental health, addiction, and inequality. Without a coordinated national strategy and stable funding, even the most successful interventions risk being undermined. As the stories of transformation show, real change is possible — but only if South Africa commits to making it a collective, sustained priority. IOL Get your news on the go, click here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel.
IOL News
13-05-2025
- Business
- IOL News
Experience a night on the streets: Help combat homelessness in South Africa
U-turn CEO Jean-Ray Knighton Fitt urges South Africans to give up the comfort of their beds for one night, saying it's a powerful step toward helping someone begin their journey off the streets. As winter creeps in and temperatures begin to drop, U-turn Homeless Ministries is challenging South Africans to embrace discomfort for a night, so others don't have to live in it daily. The organisation launched a national campaign, 'A Night on the Streets,' aiming to raise R1 million in support of safe space accommodation and long-term solutions to homelessness. 'A Night on the Streets is a chance for ordinary South Africans to do something extraordinary,' said U-turn CEO Jean-Ray Knighton Fitt. In partnership with BMW Constantia, a group of 30 individuals, comprising of BMW staff, clients, U-turn board members, and supporters, will spend a night on the pavement along Claremont Main Road to raise funds and awareness for people experiencing homelessness.
Arab Times
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Arab Times
‘Surfer' brings Cage to a boil
Finnegan's beach-set 'The Surfer' simmers as a deliciously punishing nightmare, driving Nicolas Cage into his most natural state: a boil. 'Don't live here, don't surf here,' is the slogan at a pristine stretch of beach along Luna Bay on the Australian coast where our unnamed protagonist (Cage) has come to surf with his teenage son (Finn Little). The 'locals only' signs, though, don't deter him. He was born there, and has come back to surf the break and show his son the million-dollar house on the hills nearby he plans to buy. But the situation rapidly disintegrates. He's roughed up by the pushy local surfers, his son takes off, and one issue after another keeps him stuck there on a hillside overlooking the ocean. Anyone who comes to 'The Surfer' expecting glamorous photography of perfectly tubular waves will be disappointed. This is a movie that gets a remarkable amount of mileage out of a parking lot. It also belongs to that small niche of films where things get so unbearably terrible for the protagonist that the psychodrama becomes more a matter of endurance than pure entertainment. I'm thinking of movies like 'U-turn' or 'Affliction' - films where a character's inability to reckon with their reality spirals miserably. As time wears on, Cage's character gets bloodied, sunburned and incredibly thirsty, and the film grows hallucinatory and surreal. There are snakes, rats and bird eggs. The Lexus he arrives in is towed. His suit gets dusty and ripped. Small nuisances - a dead cellphone battery - accumulate. The sun seems to be melting his brain, so much so that he's no longer sure of who he is, and we start to doubt what's real, too. What's happening here? The Surfer, as he's credited, is hell-bent on reclaiming something. He envisions reuniting with his family at the new house, but his separated wife, on the phone, tells him she wants a divorce. Is 'The Surfer,' penned by Thomas Martin, a metaphor for knowing when to cut bait? Cage's character won't accept his loses, and so he ultimately comes to risk much more. When Finnegan begins to answer these questions in a third act that brings us closer to the surfer bros on the beach, 'The Surfer' becomes more tolerable to watch and yet less transfixing. The beach gang, led by a man named Scally (Julian McMahon), are something of a cult for reviving an old-fashioned idea of masculinity. With this turn, the strong undertow of 'The Surfer' dissipates. But if there was ever an actor to elevate pulpy, not-fully formed genre material, it's Cage. His performance of a man brought to near-disintegration can be neatly filed alongside Cage's many other head trips to the brink. All he needs is a bluff above a beach to make 'The Surfer' churn with the currents of a man tenuously close to being swept out to sea. 'The Surfer,' a Roadside Attractions released that's in theaters Friday, is rated R by the Motion Picture Association for language, suicide, some violence, drug content and sexual material. Running time: 103 minutes. Three stars out of four
