NPO says it's a massive challenge for homeless people to stay warm in winter
As winter approaches, more people are flocking to shelters to escape cold and wet weather.
FILE: A homeless person sleeping on a bench. Picture: Chaivit Chana / 123rf
CAPE TOWN - With chilly air swooping in, Cape Town's homeless are finding alternative ways to keep warm.
As winter approaches, more people are flocking to shelters to escape cold and wet weather.
Spokesperson for U-turn Homeless Ministries, Stephen Underwood, says it's a massive challenge for homeless people to stay warm.
"Life on the streets is very very tough as it gets cold and wet. Folk living on the streets approach more and more shelters and NGOs, desperately trying to get out of the rain, wind and the cold, so we see a significant spike in people seeking shelter and with 14,000 people living on the streets and only 2,000 to 3,000 shelter beds, generally shelters are full at most times of the year but in winter they are absolutely packed."