Stellenbosch Municipality is considering a lease application from a non-profit homeless service organisation, U-Turn, to use a building in Stellenbosch Central as one of their service facilities. This is according to municipality spokesperson Stuart Grobbelaar.
“Plans are underway to put the building to good use and one of the proposals that has been put forward is to transform the building into a centre that can assist homeless or destitute people,” said Grobbelaar.
U-Turn, a non-profit company committed to combating homelessness, hopes that Stellenbosch Municipality will accept its request to use the building across from Eikestad Mall on Andringa Street for one of their service facilities, according to John Hopkins, U-Turn’s chief business development officer. PHOTO: Marthinus Botes
Plans for the building
The building in question is located across from Eikestad Mall on Andringa Street, known as Erven 1977 and 1978, according to the minutes of a mayoral committee (Mayco) meeting held on 14 April 2024, which were released on the municipality website on 17 May.
U-Turn intends to use the building as both a service centre where homeless individuals can go to have their basic needs (such as ablutions and meals) met, as well as a store that can provide revenue for the company, according to Jean-Ray Knighton Fitt, CEO of U-Turn.
The building belongs to the municipality, and has served as the temporary office of the municipality’s finance department, according to Grobbelaar. Nonetheless, the building has been officially vacant since September 2022 and has since undergone renovations, he said.
Stellenbosch Municipality will consider the non-profit organisation U-Turn’s lease application to establish a homeless service facility in Stellenbosch Central at a mayoral committee meeting in the near future, according to municipality spokesperson Stuart Grobbelaar. PHOTO: Marthinus Botes
The process going forward
Stellenbosch Municipality has asked U-Turn to present their plans for the centre at an upcoming Mayco meeting, according to John Hopkins, U-Turn’s chief business development officer.
Once presented, U-Turn’s plans will still have to be voted on and approved by the municipal council before it can move to the community commentary stage of the plan’s implementation, said Grobbelaar.
Mayco meetings are typically held once a month, according to Grobbelaar. While the date for U-Turn’s presentation has not yet been decided, Hopkins hopes that U-Turn will receive the municipal go-ahead by the end of July 2024.
“[We] have basically been going through the due diligence process. So we’ve spoken to all the neighbours now – the mall [Eikestad Mall], the bar next door, the Cocreate Hub […] Everyone we’ve spoken to is happy with the proposed use for the building,” claimed Hopkins.
Tackling homelessness in Stellenbosch
Homelessness is an issue that negatively influences tourism, crime and hygiene in Stellenbosch, according to the minutes of the 14 April Mayco meeting.
“[U-Turn does not] approach homelessness from the perspective of relief only […] the aim is to help people to fully leave the street,” said Knighton Fitt.
Stellenbosch Municipality has been considering different uses for the Erven 1977 and 1978 building on Andringa Street, which has been mostly vacant since September 2022, according to Stellenbosch Municipality spokesperson Stuart Grobbelaar. PHOTO: Marthinus Botes
U-Turn operates nationally, with more than a dozen facilities and charity shops in the Western Province and Gauteng, according to the U-Turn website. Its Western Province support centres include facilities in Muizenberg, Claremont, Parow, and Strand, according to the website.
Jean-Ray Knighton Fitt, CEO of the non-profit company U-Turn, talks about the company’s prospects for a facility in Stellenbosch, and the state of homelessness in Stellenbosch.