The Haven Night Shelter

Established in 1978, The Haven Night Shelter thrives on the belief that no one should have to be homeless. This organisation strives to be there at the point where an individual can no longer help their circumstance and uplift them as far as possible.

Their method is to create a temporary shelter space for individuals to access rehabilitation opportunities, social welfare and family reunification. Individuals seeking assistance from this organisation will also receive physical support and care if needed.

This shelter partners with various religious institutions, other non-profit organisations, welfare bodies, businesses, government facilities, and local authorities to help those committed to reintegration. They also strive to promote awareness within various communities of the social issues involving homelessness. They also encourage communities to participate in alleviating these issues.

The team behind The Haven Night Shelter

This organisation employs a team of full-time staff to enter communities and encourage individuals to come off of the street and reintegrate into society. Individuals in this situation have a higher chance of successfully reconnecting with their loved ones with assistance from shelters like the Haven.

To further these efforts, fieldworkers engage with property owners, businesses and the City of Cape Town to reduce the space available on the streets. Their team actively creates opportunities for homeless individuals to reconnect with their family and friends during this process. This is done through the following methods:

• Logging the individual to the City’s database of the homeless
• Using available means to contact the individual’s family
• Make arrangements for the individuals to get back to their family
• Deregistering individuals who have been reunited from the City’s database

When an individual is welcomed to this space, they are greeted by the host and given an explanation as to how The Haven’s rehabilitation works. Once this explanation is clear, the person can choose whether they would like to stay and receive assistance from the organisation. Should they wish to, the screening and registration process will begin.

The Haven Night Shelter can only help those who want to be helped. Once help is accepted, their social workers can complete an in-depth assessment to help construct a personal development plan. This plan’s requirements will outline what needs to be done by the individual and how long shelter by the Haven is required to do so.

Staying at The Haven

The progress of this personal development plan is evaluated regularly, and adjustments can be made if necessary. The shelter’s manager is responsible for this administration and ensuring that hospitality is maintained and that arrangements are respected.

Individuals staying at the shelter are required to pay shelter fees. These fees help cover costs involved with running and growing the organisation to help as many as possible. The fees also help the homeless rebuild responsibility. Fees are capped at extremely affordable rates and can be earned by working for the shelter if there is no means to an income.