Several hundred people gathered at the Old Biscuit Mill in Woodstock last week to celebrate the 25th anniversary of U-Turn, a Kenilworth-based charity that helps the homeless get back on their feet.
U-Turn was called the Claremont Homeless Ministries when it was founded by Colleen Lewis in 1997.
It all began, she says, when she started providing toiletries and clothing to two homeless people from her home and a week later, 20 homeless people came to her for help.
“That’s how the concept of U-Turn began, and we met regularly outside my home on Friday mornings.”
They initially ran their first service centre from St Stephen’s Church in Claremont. There was a soup kitchen, a clinic and a second-hand clothing store at the centre, which also offered skills training and help getting ID books.
“We realised we also needed to educate the public on how to deal with the homeless,” she says.
Claremont Improvement District and the Claremont and Newlands Rotary gave financial support to the programme, and Sam Vos took over as CEO of U-Turn from 2006 to 2019 and introduced work-based programmes so the homeless could earn an income.
The current CEO, Jean-Ray Knighton Fitt, says Mr Vos also introduced occupational therapy to U-Turn.
According to Mr Knighton Fitt, U-Turn grew from one to five service centres during Covid-19 as more people ended up on the streets because of the financial impact of the pandemic. There are now centres in Claremont, Mitchell’s Plain, Parow, Fish Hoek and Muizenberg, and 12 U-Turn charity shops provide job opportunities for the homeless.
One of these charity shops is housed in one of U-Turn’s two double-decker buses, which were officially unveiled at the anniversary celebration. The other bus is a mobile service centre.
Katlyn Sebatsane, the manager of the Fish Hoek service centre, says the buses can go into communities where U-Turn has not worked previously.
The buses were donated by an anonymous donor and it cost U-Turn R300 000 to refurbish them, according to U-Turn spokesman Stephen Underwood.
Cathy Achilles, 43, who was living in homeless shelters in Stellenbosch before joining U-Turn two years ago, says the organisation has changed her life. She now lives in Conradie Park, Pinelands, and is an online media spokeswoman for U-Turn.
“Through U-Turn there was a pathway of greatness out of U-Turn,” she says.
Franklin Meyer, 34, who is originally from Malmesbury, grew up in an orphanage and says he felt disconnected from his relatives growing up. Through U-Turn, he received support with drug rehabilitation.
“U-Turn saved me, reformed me and renewed me to the man I am today,” he says. He now works in a Constantia hotel, doing housekeeping and lives in Wynberg.
Mr Knighton Fitt says that U-Turn will continue to expand its services, with three service centres and a charity shop in Johannesburg and it is raising R2 million for a transitional house and shelter to be established in Bellville.
Visit homeless.org.za for more information.
