Michael Ender, chairperson, Sea Point Fresnaye Bantry Bay Ratepayers’ and Residents’ Association
Sea Point Fresnaye Bantry Bay Ratepayers’ and Residents’ Association (SFB) welcomes the article in the Atlantic Sun as it helps to create awareness of our new initiative, Project H.O.P.E.
However, the article creates the impression as if the main focus of the Project H.O.P.E. initiative was of a social nature.
SFB’s principal concerns are the problems for our residents and ratepayers which are being created by the many homeless people in our area.
Whereas some organisations see this as a mainly law enforcement issue (deal with the symptoms) SFB believes that it is predominantly a socio-economic problem that needs to be dealt with accordingly to generate lasting improvements for our residents and ratepayers.
The same organisations for this very reason have accused the SFB of neglecting their duty of holding the City of Cape Town accountable.
Nothing could be further from the truth; SFB has engaged on many occasions with the relevant officials on matters of by-laws and law enforcement and will continue to do so in future.
SFB strongly believes that there is no alternative to a broad consensus and partnership to make progress and get as many of the homeless people off our streets.
The Project H.O.P.E. initiative is part of SFB’s successful Safety and Cleaning Initiative which has generated substantial benefits for ratepayers and residents since 2015 in those areas where it has been operating. Since 2015 the homeless problem has deteriorated which urgently requires further attention. Therefore SFB has decided to expand the Safety and Cleaning Initiative into other areas.
For as little as R75 a month per household, the following services will be provided by an SFB subscription: a tactical vehicle from Avenue Response to patrol the area 24 hours, a mobile hotline to call this vehicle, the Buzzer App with link to Avenue Response, regular cleaning of streets (by homeless people from our area employed through NGOs (currently Straatwerk), the provision of doggy poo bag dispensers, fieldworkers assisting homeless people from our area to move into shelters (provided by the City); and fieldworkers assisting homeless people from our area to facilitate social interventions (the City’s programmes for drug rehabilitation, reintegration and so forth).
All residents and ratepayers in Sea Point are requested to support this initiative and to become part of the solution. You will find further information on our website: www.sfb.org.za or call
078 873 0423.
