This street people’s centre is helping empower the homeless in Somerset West

This street people’s centre is helping empower the homeless in Somerset West

15 July 2015 7:19 AM

Andy Loughton is a 54 year old restaurant and bakery owner who has started an empowering and innovative bartering system for those who live on the streets of Somerset West at the Helderberg Street People’s Centre.

The idea began when Loughton organised a street clean-up a year ago in exchange for a boerewors roll and a cooldrink. A hundred bags of junk were collected in just two hours.

It’s a simple idea that is having a huge impact: A big municipal bag of litter buys a hot meal. Five bags equals a blanket to keep the wind and the rain out.

Loughton says that the process was a way to bring dignity and self-respect to those on the street and an opportunity to break the cycle of poverty.

Listen to the full conversation, with John Webb standing in, on Breakfast with Kieno Kammies:

Written by: Qama Qukula

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