Cape Town adds another 120 shelter beds as City, Haven team-up
10 October 2025
The City of Cape Town and Haven Night Shelter are teaming up to expand shelter beds and help more people off the streets in various parts of the metro. Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis visited the latest City-funded expansion of 120 beds at the Haven’s shelter in Retreat on World Homeless Day, 10 October, together with Cllr Francine Higham, Mayoral Committee Member for Community Services and Health.
Construction of the 120-bed expansion in Retreat has more than doubled capacity from 104 to 224 beds, with the City contributing R12,7m to enable this.
This follows the expansion of the Haven’s CBD facility by 63%, from 96 to 156 beds. Hundreds more beds will be added by upcoming expansions to Haven shelters in Kensington and Wynberg as a result of the City and Haven partnership, with the Haven’s District 6 shelter also set to expand thanks to grant-funding from the provincial Department of Social Development.
‘These ongoing shelter expansions are part of Cape Town’s unique social developmental approach to helping more people off the streets. There are simply no other cities in South Africa investing in shelter services to help people off the streets. I was pleased to check out the completed 120-bed expansion to the Haven’s Retreat facility today, which offers not only dignified shelter, but also various social services to support people in their journey to get off the streets sustainably.
‘By adding more shelter beds, we are helping people to choose social support, reintegration, and even family reunification, over the undignified, unhealthy, and unsafe conditions of life on the streets. In this way, we are also ensuring that public spaces are restored to public use as no one has the right to exclusively reserve these while rejecting all offers of social support indefinitely,’ said Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis.
City expanding Safe Space dignified shelter
‘Annually, the City helps around 3 500 individuals with shelter placement in City-run Safe Spaces or NGO shelters, as well as referrals to an array of social services. The City further runs the Matrix substance abuse treatment programme, with an 83% success rate for clients, addressing a key driver of why people end up on the streets.
‘Besides our partnership to expand Haven shelters, the City’s Safe Spaces currently offer over 900 beds across the CBD, Bellville, and Durbanville facilities. Together with our partner shelters, the total available beds across our network of care sites currently stands at 1 308. Last year, we opened a new 300-bed Safe Space in Green Point, and plans are in progress for other shelter expansion plans around the metro in partnership with various NGOs, communities, and stakeholders,’ said Councillor Francine Higham, Mayoral Committee Member for Community Services and Health.
The City’s Safe Space model includes:
• dignified shelter,
• comfort and ablutions,
• two meals per day,
• access to a social worker on-site,
• personal development planning,
• various social services, including ID Book and social grant assistance,
• family reunification services
• access to substance and alcohol abuse treatment,
• skills training,
• help finding a job, and
• access to EPWP work placement
Caption 1 & 2: Photographs of the dormitory and bathrooms
Caption 3: Haven Night Shelter CEO, Shadrick Valayadum, Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis and Cllr. Francine Higham cut the ribbon to officially open the expanded facility
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Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office
