The problem of destitute people exists in Namibia, however the severity of the problem is unknown, says Gladys Kamboo, spokesperson of the Ministry of Health and Social Services.
According to Kamboo, the main challenge is to render proper psychosocial and health services to homeless people and to ensure that the Ministry of Regional and Local Government and Housing and Rural Development and other relevant authorities provide accommodation for those who cannot afford it.
Private organisations such as the Haven of Happiness based in Walvis Bay has been assisting destitute people. With little accommodation space at its disposal, the organisation only takes in sick homeless people. It also provides training in the fields of housekeeping and room attendance to orphans and vulnerable people who are 18 years and older.
Another organisation which also assists with the provision of housing, is the Shack Dwellers Federation. The federation is a self-help scheme which helps people from the low-income groups to build their own houses. Its members collect money on a monthly basis and this is used to buy building materials for the construction of the members’ own homes. The Shack Dwellers Federation facilitates the purchase of land and the servicing of such land from the local authorities.
With the assistance of the Spanish Cooperation in Namibia, the Federation hopes to build 30 new low-cost houses for Windhoek residents who live in informal settlements.
The Spanish Cooperation has assisted the scheme with nearly N$12 million in financial assistance over the past five years.
“There are no national statistics available and in some regions, there are no programmes in place at all that offer assistance to homeless people. This has also made it difficult to measure the severity of the problem,” said Kamboo.