Service Dining Rooms

Established in 1935, Service Dining Rooms (SDR) is a soup kitchen in the eastern part of the Central Business District of Cape Town. SDR serves and delivers between 600-800 meals each day. For one rand, street people receive a well-portioned meal. In addition, Service Dining Rooms offers other services with the help of Richard “Ricky” Marais, the Program Manager since 2014, who leads a variety of programs ranging from addiction support to job skills development. He served as an influential advisor in this project.

Khulisa Social Solutions

Khulisa’s main purpose is to “reinvent the lives” of street community members in South Africa and other parts of northern Africa. It implements programs in prisons, schools, and other NGOs that focus on development (social, moral, emotional, etc.) and acquiring skills. Established in 1997, Khulisa targets crime prevention, community and leadership development, and business skills and enterprise development. By working on these areas, Khulisa offers members of vulnerable populations the opportunity to change their lives for the better (“About Us”, 2015).

One employee we closely worked with is Jesse Laitinen, who has provided valuable guidance in this project. She is also the liaison for the Khulisa Team and advised their project (see Fostering Community at the Canterbury Lot). In collaboration with Service Dining Rooms, Jessie is one of the leaders of a program called StreetScape. The StreetScape program allows street people to garden and earn money in hopes that it will provide them with a purpose and dignity. As an eventual end result, Khulisa hopes the program will provide participants with the chance to earn an income, along with the opportunity for further personal development.

Cape Town Central City Improvement District

There are many departments of the CCID that serve central Cape Town, including Urban Management, Safety and Security, and Social Development. The Urban Management Department provides a clean and attractive environment for all of Cape Town to enjoy. This department works on many aspects of urban area maintenance, including picking up trash on the ground, removing graffiti, and repairing damaged, paved walkways (“Urban Management”, 2015). The Safety and Security Department utilizes 230 public safety officers to ensure that the Central District of Cape Town remains safe and crime-free (“Safety and Security”, 2015). The Social Development Department focuses its attention on aiding street people in the City Business District and offers them access to basic resources and services. This department, which we worked with most compared to other CCID departments, collaborates with NGOs such as Youth Solutions Africa, U-Turn, and Khulisa Social Solutions (“Social Development”, 2015). The Social Development Department has been a key supporter in this project, including donating refreshments for the Art Viewing.