Homeless for Christmas Campaign

I am also the Cape Argus columnist on homelessness and founder of The Homeless Action Coalition, The Rehoming Collective and Outsider.

Last year I started a campaign called Homeless for Christmas, where I and a few previously homeless friends go back to being homeless for Christmas. We did it to launch a count and assessment of those living on the streets. 

I believe if we don't know how many people are living on the streets, how they got there, what tgeir journey has been like and what will it take for them to leave the streets, we cannot claim to be offering assistance.

We have this past year visited and counted those living on the streets of Cape Town in 18 wards. We have physically counted 14 698 individuals thus far and done assessments with 7203. We have also provided free IDs to 564 individuals.

This Christmas we return to continue the count but to make Christmas special for those living on the streets we make up care packages for them and arrange for a meal.

Anybody is welcome to join us on the 25th of December when we celebrate Christmas with those living on the streets and aspire to inspire them to work towards leaving the streets

We need your support to purchase the items for the care packages. These include soap, toothpaste, disposable razors, nailclippers, a pair of heavy duty socks, a solar charged light, Face cloth, peanut butter, energy bar, a blanket, plasters, Wet wipes.

My own lived experience taught me how important inclusion is for someone living on the street. As a homeless person I desired to be acknowledged and made to feel a part of society. Only communities will ever help reduce the numbers on their streets by getting to know those living on their streets as individuals.

Homelessness is a state and not a trait.

Please help us by donating towards our Homeless for Christmas campaign. 

Last year we purchased R30 000 worth of items for the care packages. We would love to see this grow to R50 000 as we would like to do special packages for the children on the streets with their moms or parents.

Thank you.

Carlos Mesquita