Although they have been actively involved with the local homeless community for the past four years, non-profit company Katlego’s Hand officially launched their hub for the homeless in Industrie Street on Saturday 12 March.
Katlego’s Hand started in Bloemfontein 12 years ago, but moved with founder Cheryldene Lee and her family to Kuils River in 2018 when she opened a take-away business locally.
Lee says they have been providing a service to the homeless people in the area for the past four years. “We are in operation in Kuils River and feeding in Kalkfontein twice a week.”
They started providing food to around 30 to 40 people in Kalkfontein on Tuesdays and Thursdays. “Now it’s around 300 people – mostly children.”
She says the need for their services, mainly meeting basic needs with food, clothing and blankets, have escalated to where they are currently serving ‘‘at least 400 to 600 people twice a week.’’
“We are struggling to meet the escalating needs and demand since Covid-19 as we provided this from our personal funds for the past four years.”
Lee says Covid ‘‘killed” her once thriving takeaway business. They had to close for months. Then just as they reopened and had stocked up on supplies, they suffered a burglary, she says. “That hit us hard.”
She still has faith to revive her business, but also feels she is closer to her purpose.
“This is what I’m supposed to do. Yes, I was sad when my business closed, but I’m also excited that I can concentrate more on people.
“We used to feed people out of my takeaways, so now it has become a little bit difficult, but we will get through.”
Lee says she would really like to see the lines of homeless people become shorter. “Many of them do have homes to go back to.”
Lee says pastor Marius Bailey, who is involved with the Kuils River Homeless People’s Association, helped her to approach provincial government to establish the homeless hub as a joint venture. She needed them to come onboard to provide counselling, help with drug abuse, shelter placements, reintegration into society or reuniting individuals with their families.
Lee says at this stage they are not receiving any funding from government.
“Pastor Bailey is my 911-person I call when I need help.”
A non-profit organisation, Helping on purpose to empower, who distributes food to various charities also assists them regularly.
Lee has presented cooking classes for the unemployed or homeless before.
“I teach them how to make food like donuts or samoosas, so they can start a small business and sell what they make.”
The next class of 10 will start 1 April for three months. “My class is six hours with theory and practical.”
The trainees need ingredients as well as something to eat and drink. Lee says she does not know yet if the City will help with funding. “If they do that would be awesome, if they don’t plan B is beg and borrow,” she says laughing.
Lee says the trainees will have an exam and receive a certificate afterwards. She will not allow people to do the course more than once, but says she will gladly show something specific again if someone asks.
On Saturday as people came to collect a meal it was clear “Ma Lee” as many called her, knew almost everyone by their name, and their individual stories too.
Monique Khuper, who said she’s been living on the streets of Kuils River for 16 years, said Lee has a good heart. “She tries her best to help us. And her daughter (Mikayla) too.”
During a short opening ceremony ward councillor Wouter de Vos commended the Lee-family for their passion. “May we, as the community, help so that there can be less people in the line.”
Bailey says the biggest mistake is “to just give and give”. The homeless should rather be empowered by teaching them skills, something he believes, Lee, with a lecturing background, can do.
“We don’t want to see lines, but empowerment.”
