Tabletalk visited Koeberg Road to ask street people in the area what they thought about the restoration centre. Anita van Grenen, 44, has been living on the streets for the past six years. Ms Van Grenen, who is from the area and sleeps on someone’s balcony at night, said the centre was a great idea. She felt it would work if there were rules in place.
“Respect and order is important. People shouldn’t come in drunk and drugged up. We can’t just sit around all day waiting for hand outs. They need to give us something to do so we can keep busy and not just accept handouts,” she said.
Wintzel Kline, 66, has been on living on the streets for the past three months and says it is not for the faint-hearted.
He sleeps in front of a shop in Koeberg Road and says it is dangerous especially on weekends when people go to a nearby night club.
“When they get drunk, they start breaking bottles. I would go to that centre with pleasure. I’ve been living in Brooklyn for 40-odd years, and I’ve been on the street for three months. This is the first time I’ve ever experienced something to this effect,” he said. He misses being clean. At the moment, he baths once a week at friends who live at the Albow Garden flats.
“I would appreciate being able to take a bath every day,” he said.
Anthony May has been living on the streets for more than 30 years. He has his doubts about the new centre.
“People living in the Albow Gardens flats will go to that centre and they are very wild. They will fight with us,” he said.
Mr May, who sleeps on one of the shop corners in Koeberg Road, also expressed concern about how he would find his way to the centre.
