We’re all complaining about that now very palpable winter chill in the air. For most of us though, relief is only a warm hoodie or a heater away. In contrast, this is not the case for the literally thousands of homeless people living hard in Cape Town.
Notably, in the space of just one block in the CBD, you’ll see a dozen people needing assistance. The messaging from authorities is clear - giving someone who's homeless a R5 coin doesn’t help them in the long-run. In fact, it perpetuates a negative cycle of living on the streets. Consequently, they need a hand up, not a handout.
When Quicket Co-founder and Director, James Hedley, was personally faced with this dilemma on his way home to Sea Point one evening, he wondered if he could use the Quicket platform to somehow make a difference.
Good news - he could!
“There are many shelters in Cape Town that are open to street people at a small cost. But at times they can’t afford this charge. Quicket therefore partnered with The Haven night shelter to create the shelter passport - enabling anyone to go online and buy a passport filled with printable, charity-ready reprieve, for those in need.
“Each ticket guarantees the grateful recipient a hot meal, a shower, and a bed for the night (provided there is one free). In addition, they’ll receive access to the assistance The Haven provides in terms of social services and helping to get people back on their feet,” says Hedley.
How to help
The tickets are sold in batches of five and cost just R12 per ticket. Therefore, most customers buy packs of 10 or even 50 at a time, keeping them handy to give out as needed. In the long run, this is especially handy since they don’t expire. Since the initiative was launched on the site, more than 1400 tickets have been sold.
Quicket also gives the option of donating straight to The Haven night shelter through the platform. Users can insert any amount and a donation will be made to the shelter in their name.
“Our main aim is to help adult homeless people off the street and reintegrate them back into society. We urge people to invest more into this mandate, and effectively encourage homeless people to get off the street and into the shelter. We firmly believe in not enabling the homeless to stay on the streets, as this only increases their vulnerability. A common misconception is that homeless shelters fill up quickly, but we assure all those who need assistance that there is a place to stay. We will make an effort to provide as many people as we can with a warm place to rest,” CEO of Haven Shelter, Hassan Khan.
Stats last updated: 19 July 2019.
Nina is the Marketing Manager for Quicket and is passionate about growing a community of event organisers into one that is empowered to create incredible experiences. An event organiser herself, she’s also worked across brand marketing, social media, and in the non-profit world. She’s a burner (AfrikaBurn) at heart, an avid baker, loves a good hug, and cooking dinner for friends over a glass of good wine.