CCID Social Development

29/05/2026

The countdown has begun for the launch next week of The Safe Sleeping Zone emergency shelter – a joint project between the CCID and partner NGO The Haven Night Shelter WO Cape Town – which will provide temporary bed space during winter for chronically homeless people in the CBD.

This initiative is a four-month project that forms part of the CCID’s Winter Readiness Programme while being a continuation of The Haven’s dedicated efforts to provide shelter for people experiencing homelessness. The Haven has 15 shelters in and around Cape Town.

Head of CCID Social Development Tara Gerardy Bissolati says the Safe Sleeping Zone will support vulnerable individuals with dignity and care. “Winter is very harsh for people living on the streets, who often have limited access to suitable shelter. Our aim is to improve quality of life and foster a more inclusive CBD.”
The Haven CEO Shaddie Valayadum says the shelter has been designed as low-threshold sleeping space, or overnight emergency accommodation rather than long-term housing.

Homeless people will be referred to the site, which is adjacent The Haven District Six under the Selkirk Street Carriageway, by the CCID. It will open every night at 19h00 with final entry at 21h30. Residents will need to exit by 06h30 the following morning.

CCID CEO Tasso Evangelinos says the project, which is an innovative intervention, has strong potential for growth. “While it is a targeted response to immediate winter needs, our hope is that its success will pave the way for expansion into other parts of the CBD and beyond.”

22/05/2026

A successful donation drive by Southern Sun in April resulted in an enormously generous donation of clothing and bedding to the CCID’s Social Development department.

The donation drive took place at five hotels, namely Southern Sun Cape Sun, Southern Sun The Cullinan, Southern Sun Waterfront Cape Town, Southern Sun SunSquare and Southern Sun Victoria Junction.

A total of 81 bags were collected via seven donation bins from CCID Social Development: Cape Sun led the way, filling three bins, Waterfront filled two bins while Victoria Junction and The Cullinan filled one bin each. Huge thanks to SunSquare for donating 66 duvet sets.

The duvets will be used at the CCID’s new Safe Sleeping Zone, which is being launched on 2 June in collaboration with The Haven Night Shelter District Six to provide temporary overnight accommodation for the homeless.

Fifteen bags of clothing have also been donated to The Haven.

Says Tara Gerardy-Bissolati: “We are extremely grateful for this very sizeable donation, and grateful to put the duvets to good use at our temporary shelter to provide safe sleeping space for the homeless during the cold winter months.”
Thank you, Southern Sun, we truly appreciate your support.

🏨 For more information on these stellar hotels and what they have to offer from excellent accomodation to great restaurants go to https://www.southernsun.com/

22/05/2026

We are excited to announce that the CCID, in partnership with The Haven Night Shelter WO Cape Town, will open an overnight shelter on 2 June 2026 to provide temporary sleeping space per night for at least 80 homeless clients.

A four-month pilot, the Safe Sleeping Zone will provide structured, secure overnight shelter in District Six next to The Haven District Six for up to 80 people per night as part of CCID Social Development’s Winter Readiness Programme.
The pilot –a first-of-its-kind in South Africa – aims to provide safe, dignified temporary overnight accommodation during the harsh winter months.

“For many, winter is only a season, but for people experiencing homelessness it means nights exposed to freezing temperatures, storms and unsafe conditions, often with limited access to shelter,” says Tara Gerardy-Bissolati, manager of CCID Social Development. “Our aim is to improve quality of life and foster a more inclusive CBD where vulnerable individuals are supported with dignity and care. The Safe Sleeping Zone helps to achieve exactly that.”

Stay tuned to find out how the Safe Sleeping Zone will work and what makes it unique.

14/05/2026

During Mental Health Awareness Week, CCID Social Development has launched its Ubuntu Safe Minds Project to document the mental health challenges of the Cape Town CBD’s homeless community while actively supporting vulnerable individuals through a coordinated and collaborative approach.

“We are establishing dedicated mental health teams to provide day and night specialised, continuous, and trauma-informed support”, says Tara Gerardy-Bissolati, manager of CCID Social Development. “The aim to improve early identification, intervention, referral pathways, and ongoing psychosocial support within the urban environment.”

In line with the 2026 theme of Mental Health Awareness Week, namely “Action”, defined as moving beyond awareness to take practical steps to improve mental wellbeing in communities, the CCID’s Social Development department has developed a comprehensive survey tool, working closely with and guided by Dr Marié Venn and Dr John Wulz, both medical doctors with a special interest in psychiatric care.

“We have done a lot of groundwork so that we can better understand the scale, prevalence and complexity of mental health needs among the homeless in town.”

The teams have started the survey across the CCID’s footprint in the CBD, marking an important step toward strengthening evidence-based mental health interventions and support services.

“The data will play a critical role in informing future service delivery, resource allocation, programme planning, and partnership development. Ultimately, the project aims to strengthen interventions and create a more responsive, compassionate, and coordinated mental health support system for some of the city centre’s most vulnerable residents.”

11/05/2026

Please note the following weather update from the City of Cape Town.

WEATHER UPDATE – KEVIN JACOBS, TRAFFIC SERVICES SPOKESPERSON

We have had no reports of major accidents on our roads so far this morning.

However, on the M3 at Rhodes Drive, a tree is obstructing the roadway and there are reports of live wires across the roadway on Rosmead Avenue in the vicinity of the Wynberg Fire station. Traffic officers are on scene and have effected a lane closure.

There is also widespread localised flooding of roadways, so we urge road users to be incredibly careful.

Please slow down to avoid the risk of aquaplaning – drive with your headlights on to ensure you are visible to oncoming traffic and allow additional travel time to get to your destination.

Also use navigational tools to help identify potential traffic obstructions or delays on your route.

06/05/2026

Teamwork is dream work. This was the case recently when the CCID’s Safety & Security and Social Development teams worked together to help a young Gauteng woman who unexpectedly found herself stranded in the Cape Town CBD in the dead of night.

The Social team were alerted to the stricken Johannesburg woman’s plight by CCID Safety & Security night manager Bennie Jacobs last week when he encountered her and realised she needed assistance.

Herbert November, CCID auxiliary social worker, picks up the story: “The woman had arrived in Cape Town to holiday with a friend but was left stranded and unable to pay the unpaid hotel bill.

“Jacobs contacted our peer field worker night team who arranged for her to spend the night at The Haven Night Shelter in Napier St. The following morning, the Social day team took over, helped her to get to the airport and stayed in contact with her until she got home safely. This is what we do … work together to ensure the safety, care and dignity for people in need.”

Well done to our teams!
Development

17/04/2026

We’re proud of the part we play in keeping the Cape Town CBD welcoming, attractive, safe, functioning optimally and business friendly.

As an organisation that delivers services that complement those of the City of Cape Town and our other partners at SAPS and City Law Enforcement, day in and day out we’re here in town, working for you.

If you’re proud of the CBD too, give us a like and follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram for news and views from the heart of the Mother City.

14/04/2026

Sincere thanks to our stakeholder The Mount Nelson, A Belmond Hotel for the generous donation of eight bags full of uniforms.

These useful items of clothing were donated by our Social Development department to our NGO partner The Haven Night Shelter WO Cape Town and were dropped off at The Haven Napier Street.

We are grateful for donations big and small in our efforts to work with our partners to create opportunities and a better life for those experiencing homelessness.

CCID Social Development has nine collection bins in the foyers of commercial and residential buildings in the CBD. If you’d like to up your CSI efforts, please consider using a CCID donation bin to do so.

➡️ Please contact [email protected]

14/04/2026

Peer field workers in the CCID Social Development team, who are former homeless individuals who have overcome substance abuse and have been trained to mentor and support those currently experiencing homelessness in town, recently benefited from sessions with Dr Marié Venn, a medical doctor with experience in psychiatric care.

“Dr Venn engaged with the day and night peer field workers on mental health conditions, as well as the signs and symptoms to look out for in the field,” reports Herbert November, CCID Social Development auxiliary social worker. “The sessions created a safe and informative space for learning, reflection, and open discussion—equipping our team with valuable knowledge to better understand and support the individuals they work with daily.”

Mental health awareness is a key part of CCID Social Development’s work, especially when engaging with vulnerable communities.

“By strengthening our understanding, we strengthen our ability to respond with empathy, care, and professionalism,” says November.

31/03/2026

We’re on a slipper-y slope with our generous stakeholder Mount Nelson, A Belmond Hotel which has donated a whopping 21 bags of hotel slippers to the CCID’s Social Development department.

With winter approaching, the slippers will be very welcome and were donated to the CCID’s NGO partner Youth Solutions Africa (Y.S.A) for distribution to marginalised individuals who make use of YSA’s facilities.

Our thanks to the Nellie for their consistent support! The Mount Nelson donates to the CCID’s Social team via our donation bin initiative. There are nine donation bins in the CBD through which stakeholders donate clothing and dry food items.

If you’d like a bin for your business, commercial or residential building, please email [email protected]