The City’s Give Responsibly campaign is a key element of our Street People Programme. It advocates for residents and businesses to donate to shelters or organisations working with street people instead of giving direct handouts which tend to keep people on the street.

Ultimately, we want to reintegrate as many street people as possible while also mitigating the risk of others migrating to the streets.

In this regard, the City is driving a number of interventions, including via our Reintegration Unit that engages with street people on a daily basis to ascertain their needs and offer appropriate social and other humanitarian assistance. These offers are completely voluntary and experience has shown that many individuals avoid assistance as they may be receiving handouts from the community.

For those who do accept assistance, there is the prospect of being placed in shelters or at the Culemborg Safe Space; finding temporary or even permanent employment; gaining access to medical care and social grants where needed; and even an opportunity to return to their communities of origin or be reunited with their families.

In mid-July, the City launched the Culemborg Safe Space in the Central Business District. The site can accommodate 230 people and provides overnight accommodation, as well as access to a range of social and medical services and personal development opportunities. It is a transitional space, with the ultimate aim of reintegrating street people who use the facility back into society.

A number of clients have already made use of the opportunities provided through the Safe Space, and have secured temporary and permanent employment with public and private sector partners. This in turn has enabled them to move into their own accommodation and build on these opportunities.

​​CULEMBORG SAFE SPACE STATISTICS: