Don't give money to the homeless, City of Cape Town begs residents
12 October 2017
Cape Town – The City of Cape Town on Tuesday reiterated its call for residents to not give money or food directly to homeless individuals, saying that handouts perpetuate chronic homelessness.
Social work organisations in the city have, however, raised concern over the City's "overly simplistic" approach to dealing with homelessness.
In a statement, mayoral committee member for safety, security and social services JP Smith said the City's programmes to help "street people" would reach far more people if the public supported its interventions.
"We are constantly reminding residents about the harm in giving money directly to street people. While they may think they’re doing a good deed, in reality, it only discourages street people from accepting social services," Smith said.