Commitment made by City and partners to reduce homelessness by 2030

MES (Mould Empower Serve) was part of a significant milestone for Cape Town, the National Homeless Conversation, which was held in Cape Town from 4 to 5 November.

At the event the City of Cape Town officially signed a memorandum of understanding with the Institute of Global Homelessness (IGH), becoming a Vanguard City in a global network working to reduce homelessness by 25% by 2030.

“As a long-standing partner in urban regeneration and social development, we are proud to have contributed to this collaborative effort which marks a meaningful step toward sustainable, compassionate solutions to homelessness in South Africa,” said Ilse Maartens, branch manager of MES Cape Town.

The agreement was signed by executive mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis, Francine Higham (Mayco member for community services and health), Zukiswa Mandlana (executive director of the community services and health directorate) and Julia Wager (acting chief executive officer of IGH).

It commits the City to reducing homelessness by 25% by 2030, using a planned point-in-time count in 2026 as the baseline.

Four key areas

This milestone partnership will focus on four key areas:

• Prevention, by developing strategies to prevent homelessness, especially for individuals transitioning from institutions such as hospitals, care facilities and prisons;
• Developmental services to expand shelter accommodation, day centres, outreach programmes and employment pathways that promote dignity and long-term independence;
• Data and measurement to establish an integrated citywide data system to track progress and inform evidence-based policy;
• Collaboration, to strengthen partnerships between government, non-profits, business and people with lived experience of homelessness.

Developed collaboratively

These goals were developed collaboratively with input from several organisations, including MES, U-turn, Streetscapes, The Haven, Oasis, Voortrekker Corridor Improvement District (VRCID), Cape Town Central City Improvement District (CCID) and the City of Cape Town’s community services and health directorate.

Transformative opportunity

MES, a long-standing partner in urban regeneration and social development, welcomes this commitment as a transformative opportunity to deepen collaboration and align efforts across sectors. The organisation believes that meaningful progress will depend on shared accountability, innovation, and compassion.

“This partnership represents a vital collective step toward addressing homelessness in a coordinated, measurable and sustainable way,” said Maartens.

“We are proud to stand alongside our partners in creating pathways to dignity, work readiness and community reintegration for those who have experienced homelessness.”

Joining Vanguard Cities Network

By joining the Vanguard Cities Network, Cape Town will collaborate with international peers such as Chicago, Adelaide and São Paulo, sharing best practices and receiving technical support from IGH to refine and scale proven interventions.

For MES this initiative reinforces its vision of creating sustainable cities through holistic urban transformation, empowering individuals to restore dignity, rebuild independence and re-join society as active citizens, Maartens pointed out.

• MES is a Christian social-development organisation that has been transforming the heart of South Africa’s cities since 1986. Actively working to provide sustainable solutions to urban poverty, MES operates in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth and Kempton Park. MES offers professional social-development services to vulnerable and at-risk individuals, families and communities. Programmes are tailored to the specific needs and resources of each area, ensuring a holistic and integrated approach to upliftment, empowerment and sustainable change.