How We Work

Our method is to make temporary shelter, rehabilitation opportunities, social welfare services, family reunification services, physical care and support available to adult people living on the streets who are committed to reintegration.

To partner and co operate with religious institutions, organisations, welfare bodies, service providers, businesses, government departments, local authorities and individuals concerned with the care and welfare of the destitute.

To promote community awareness of the social problems arising out of destitution and to encourage the participation of the public in the alleviation of such problems.

To reduce the opportunities for people to continue to live on the streets.
 

Fieldworkers

We employ fulltime staff to “hit the pavement” to encourage people to come off the streets and get the person back to a home. The process of getting a person back to their loved ones usually involves introducing them to a shelter like the Haven.

In addition the fieldworker engages with property owners, business and the City to reduce the “bed space” on our streets.

The fieldworker’s role is to actively encourage and create the opportunities for the Homeless person to get back to their loved ones and family. They do this by:

  • Logging the person on the relevant City database of homeless people.
  • Using whatever contact details they have to find the person’s family.
  • Making contact with the family to find ways to get the person back to them.
  • Making travel arrangements depending on the availability of funds.
  • Ensuring the person gets to the train or bus station.
  • Calling the family the following day to ensure that their loved one has arrived and is safe.
  • Deregistering the person from the City’s database.

The Haven sees its Vision and Mission as starting well outside the boundaries of its Shelters.

Team

Each shelter has a manager, 4 supervisors and almost every shelter has a social workers.

Homeless persons entering The Haven

When a homeless person comes in the host of the day (supervisor) will welcome the person and explain what The Haven does and allow the homeless person/guest time to make up his mind whether The Haven is a partner for him on his way home or not. Once the guestindicates that s/he wishes to access the help from The Haven we begin a process of screening and begin the client registration process. The client completes a registration form and gets something to eat. Thats where the Haven really begins to help. No fees for up to 5 days.

Social work

We are only able to help a homeless person on his journey ifs/he wants to work on getting to a home.  The Haven employs social workers to undertake an in depth assesment and help the homeless person construct a personal development plan (PDP). The PDP requirements will indicate that needs to be done and for how long the temporary shelter is necessary in order for the client to succesfully complete the requirements in the PDP. From this moment the guest is regarded as a client of The Haven. Progress is measured regulalrly and the PDP adjusted if neccessary. The shelter manager is responsible for administration, hospitality, good order and arrangements with respect to work opportunities and the clients exit from The Haven.

Shelter fees

Part of taking responsibility is that clients have to pay R12 per day for services if unemeployed or R750 per month if income exceeds R1400.00 pm. Clients can earn there stay at a shelter by working for in the shelter.

NPO / PBO

The Haven Night Shelter was established in 1978 in Cape Town, South Africa. We were registered as a Section 21 (a) (Not for Gain) Public Company in 1983, a Non Profit Organisation in 2000, and as a Public Benefit Organisation in 2004.

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