GEORGE NEWS - The George Night Shelter received a visit from George Mayor Leon van Wyk and councillors Marlene Barnardt, Erika Brown and Donovan Gultig on Friday 2 December.
This is part of a series of visits to show appreciation and support for social and community development programmes and activities in the city of George.
The night shelter provides a place to sleep, a cooked meal and a breakfast to the homeless at R25 per evening.
About 120 people make use of the night shelter every night. There is a permanent social worker based at the shelter who assists the homeless to apply for their IDs, helps them create CVs and assists them in applying for work.
The George Night Shelter enjoys the support of both the George Municipality and the Department of Social Development (DSD), as well as donations from the community and businesses.
The assistant manager, Chris Classen, gave the mayor and his delegation a tour of the shelter and spoke about their zero tolerance when it comes to the consumption of any substances. He said that occupants are expected to leave the shelter at 08:00 and return by 15:00.
Upon their return they undergo a breathalyser test.
He also mentioned that the social worker based at the shelter tries to reunite occupants with their families. The delegation was shown an artwork by a woman who lives in the night shelter, Tanja Roux, who is pleased to share her work.
"I am highly grateful for the work being done at this night shelter," said Van Wyk. "We have a homelessness problem in our town. Our service industry who are lending a helping hand should be commended for their work, the social workers, people like Mr Classen - you help make our town better with the selfless work you do."
The George Night Shelter
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