| City-funded CBD Regeneration Project helps homeless Capetonians reclaim dignity through upskilling, jobs | City-funded CBD Regeneration Project helps homeless Capetonians reclaim dignity through upskilling, jobs | | <img alt="" src="https://resource.capetown.gov.za/cityassets/PublishingImages/%28Treasury%29%20Policies%20and%20publications%20Header.jpg" style="BORDER:0px solid;" /> | <p>This past week, Alderman James Vos, the Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Growth, visited the City-funded CBD Regeneration Project which has recruited hundreds of homeless Capetonians who have been upskilled and employed in communities across Cape Town. <br></p> | <p>The project is overseen and funded by the Economic Growth Directorate’s Enterprise and Investment Department and administered by NPO, Khulisa Solutions. Among the sites visited by Alderman Vos were the Streetscapes urban garden, the CCID clean-up project and the U-Turn Charity Shop, all in Cape Town CBD, and the Souper Troopers Humanity Hub in Woodstock. <br></p><div>‘By placing the emphasis of this outreach on sustainable livelihoods and providing the first step on the job readiness and employment opportunity ladder, we can make a difference in people’s lives and within our communities. Already, many of the people being assisted through this project have found jobs and are living in transitional housing or with their families,’ said Alderman Vos. <br></div><div>
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<figure class="subtopic-fullsize-img"><img src="https://resource.capetown.gov.za/cityassets/Media%20Images%202/Pic%201.JPG" class="responsive" alt="" /> </figure></span>The Directorate’s management of the programme came after the July 2022 end of the National Treasury Presidential Employment Programme (PEP Project) which assisted hundreds of homeless people in Cape Town. The City, through the Economic Growth Directorate, stepped in to provide bridging funding so that the project could continue for two more months. </div><div>The project’s participants have found employment in areas across the city doing cleaning, park maintenance, running community gardens, and recycling. Businesses and residents in areas such as Green Point, Vredehoek, Woodstock and Parow have also come on board to work with the project participants.</div><div>
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<img src="https://resource.capetown.gov.za/cityassets/Media%20Images%202/Pic%202.JPG" class="responsive" alt="" />
</p></span>‘The success of the project is largely because it works on long-term solutions for people at this very difficult time in their lives. The developmental part of the programme provides participants with an opportunity to move off the streets, access the necessary rehabilitation and health services, and learn work readiness skills. Within this framework, project participants have been registered onto Jobs Connect, the City’s workforce development platform that connects job-seekers with employment opportunities in the areas of their choosing,’ said Alderman Vos. <br></div><div>
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<figure class="subtopic-fullsize-img"><img src="https://resource.capetown.gov.za/cityassets/Media%20Images%202/Pic%203.JPG" class="responsive" alt="" /> </figure></span>The City's Mayoral Committee Member for Community Services and Health, Councillor Patricia van der Ross, added that assisting homeless people towards a better life is a priority for the City.</div><div> </div><div>'The funds allocated to this programme offer a lifeline to so many people who find themselves living on the streets. It not only offers a pathway towards sustainable livelihoods, but the project provides people with a sense of renewed purpose. We are grateful to the NPOs for partnering with us to build a city of hope,' said Councillor Van Der Ross.</div><div> </div><div>
<strong>Caption 1: </strong> Alderman James Vos, Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Growth with participants at the Streetscapes Urban Garden in Cape Town CBD.</div><div> </div><div>
<strong>Caption 2: </strong>Alderman James Vos, Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Growth with CCID clean-up project participants.</div><div> </div><div>
<strong>Caption 3: </strong>Alderman James Vos, Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Growth chats to the staff at the Souper Troopers Humanity Hub in Woodstock</div><div>
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</p> | 2023-04-29T22:00:00Z | GP0|#1d539e44-7c8c-4646-887d-386dc1d95d70;L0|#01d539e44-7c8c-4646-887d-386dc1d95d70|City news;GTSet|#62efe227-07aa-45e7-944c-ceebacca891d | | | | | GP0|#324d4e54-fd4b-4bc5-b072-93c795f57a2d;L0|#0324d4e54-fd4b-4bc5-b072-93c795f57a2d|regeneration;GTSet|#2e3de6c1-9951-4747-8f53-470629a399bb;GP0|#09cdf90f-b8ed-4703-9d1d-f3deb2a7109b;L0|#009cdf90f-b8ed-4703-9d1d-f3deb2a7109b|job opportunities;GTSet|#2e3de6c1-9951-4747-8f53-470629a399bb;GP0|#e8551c6e-d07b-410f-82d7-c7015c240416;L0|#0e8551c6e-d07b-410f-82d7-c7015c240416|Homeless;GTSet|#2e3de6c1-9951-4747-8f53-470629a399bb | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | 0 |
