A provincial strategy to empower adult persons experiencing street homelessness from vulnerability: The case of Gauteng Province in South Africa

Abstract

South Africa has had to deal with several uncertainties, with the COVID-19 pandemic accentuating the existing vulnerabilities, which include homeless people living on the street. Inadequate provision of housing and the resultant street homelessness undermine human dignity. In 2020, the Gauteng Provincial Government mandated its Department of Social Development to develop a multisectoral strategy to coordinate responses to homelessness. This commentary article explored the provincial government’s intervention to address homelessness with the aim of highlighting lessons learnt that can inform policy and practice. The article is a product of a synthesis of provincial government reports and the authors’ practice observations of homelessness in the Gauteng province supported by the literature on homelessness. Findings show that perceptible progress has been made in combating adult street homelessness and mitigating the challenges that the homeless have to contend with. For example, some of the practical steps taken by the government to empower the homeless are providing shelter and skills empowerment. Among other things, the article recommends improving stakeholder coordination and proactive social work role in generating reliable data for the homeless interventions.