GOOD Statement by Chantelle Kyd ,
GOOD George Councillor
25 January 2025
The GOOD Party in George has submitted comments on the municipality’s Emergency Housing Policy.
It remains a travesty of justice that homeless people continue to be marginalised and not assisted effectively.
Too many of the municipality’s most vulnerable residents have been left on the streets to fend for themselves.
As the GOOD Party, we would like to see a change in the Emergency Housing Policy to ensure immediate assistance to homeless people and those living in dilapidated, cardboard structures.
When homeless residents have been on a housing waiting list for over 20 years, serious questions need to be asked about the municipality’s ability to address their need for a decent home.
The Emergency Housing Programme should be a responsive, flexible and rapid programme to address not only homelessness but also hazardous living conditions, and temporary or permanent relocation of vulnerable households and or communities.
The municipality must be able to give on-site assistance or relocation or resettlement.
It should also provide for formal housing or repair or rebuild assistance.
Rapid access to flexible funding must be available at the George municipality for this purpose.
The George municipality initiatives should reduce vulnerability and ensure risks are mitigated.
The Emergency Housing Policy needs to urgently address the inequality within our municipality.
A local, provincial and national dialogue is needed. But the dialogue cannot merely be a talk shop of officials. Those directly impacted by homelessness need to be engaged and included in the conversation.
As GOOD, we call on Council to pilot such a dialogue and to ensure the plight for decent living conditions is addressed.
Media Enquiries:
Chantelle Kyd, GOOD George Councillor
Cell: 063 9854627
Email: chantelle.kyd@gmail.com
Samantha Jackson, GOOD: Media Manager
Cell: 083 5509875
Email: samantha@forgood.org.za