Please help me find shelter for a homeless 18-year-old who has no parents.

The long answer

These are the options I could find in Cape Town:

1. The Haven Night Shelter

It has a number of shelters in Cape Town which provide temporary shelter, food and social work services to adult homeless people, and they try to reintegrate the homeless person into their family. The Haven employs social workers who help homeless people construct a personal development plan (PDP). The PDP requirements indicate what needs to be done and how long should temporary shelter will be needed. People who are unemployed have to pay R12 per day and people who are employed will have to pay R750 per month if their income is over R1,400 per month. People can work at the shelter and earn their stay.

They say that individuals should go to a shelter in their neighbourhood during office hours for a screening to access services, or check the website: www.haven.org.za for the nearest location. Their shelters are located in the following areas:

• Napier Street (Green Point): 2 Napier Street, Cape Town

• Bellville: 16 Uys Street, Bellville

• Claremont: 5 Fir Street, Claremont

• Kraaifontein: 20 Van Der Ross Street, Kraaifontein

• Retreat: 52 2nd Avenue, Retreat (Recently expanded)

• Wynberg: 2 Albow Road, Wynberg

• District Six: 107 Chapel St, Woodstock

• Kalk Bay: Main Road, Kalk Bay

• Kensington: 130 15th Ave, Kensington

These shelters may not be the best option for an 18-year-old girl.

2. Mamelani Projects (a Non-Profit Organisation NPO) says that International research shows that young people who have grown up in care are the most likely to experience poor outcomes in adult life.

They have a youth programme, called Proseed, which supports young people aged 18 and above who are coming out of care. They help them to develop a network of support and build the resilience they will need to take up their adult lives.

They say that they “invest approximately R2,000 per month in a young person participating in our three-year programme. During the programme, they receive ongoing mentoring and individual support, four wilderness camps per year, 11 experiential group sessions, food, and transport support.”

This sounds worthwhile, but of course, it doesn’t solve the problem of where the young girl can stay.

These are their contact details: 

• Mamelani Projects (ProSeed)

Address: 2 Forest Drive, Pinelands, 7405, Cape Town, South Africa. 

Phone: 021 448 2745

Email: contact@mamelani.org.za

Website: mamelani.org.za 

3. SAyes Mentoring

It is a free e-mentorship programme (using digital media) for young people which connects them to trained volunteers (mentors) from around the world. They say that the mentors encourage the young people to develop a deep and honest vision for their lives and guide them to achieve their personal and professional goals.

They also say that the young people will learn how to plan their own life, manage setbacks, how to make better decisions, and improve in every area that matters to them.

It sounds like a very helpful service, but again does not solve the problem of where she can stay.

These are their contact details:

• SAyes Mentoring

Email: office.manager@sayesmentoring.org

Tel: 021 830 0795

WhatsApp: 76 771 9011

4. The Voice of the Cape FM radio station recently announced that: “The Western Cape Department of Social Development has launched a new Independent Living pilot partnership aimed at supporting young people exiting alternative care. The programme partners with four non-profit organisations to provide mentorship, life-skills training, psychosocial support, and workplace readiness. It is designed to help former foster children transition into independence with dignity, while reducing the risk of them falling back into vulnerable situations.”

The Voice of the Cape said that the pilot targets young adults who have turned 18 and are no longer supported by the state, or who have aged out of care, despite still needing guidance. The department said the programme would provide a safer pathway into adulthood by offering structured support and community-based care through participating NPOs.

Western Cape Minister of Social Development, Jaco Londt, explained why the initiative was necessary, noting that government support ends once young people turn 18, or 21 if they are still studying: 

“There has long been this critical gap between vulnerable children being in foster care or children’s homes and what happens after they turn 18,” he said. “In many cases, foster families, staff at our Child and Youth Care Centres, and social workers continue to support young people, but there are some youth who have to return to the same environments that necessitated them being placed in care in the first place.”

This is a R1-million partnership to support NPOs to provide mentorship, psychosocial support and employment readiness to those who have “aged out” of state care.

It would certainly be worth contacting them to discuss help for the young girl. You can contact them at 0800 220 250 for placement assistance.

These are their general contact details:

• Department of Social Development (DSD)

Address: Union House, Queen Victoria Street, Cape Town,

Email: SD.CustomerCare@westerncape.gov.za

Tel: 021 483 5045/ 0800 220 250

You can find your nearest DSD office by calling 021 483 3083

Wishing you the best,
Athalie