In an effort to address homelessness in the Devil’s Peak and Vredehoek areas residents established the Devil’s Peak Vredehoek Outreach (DPVO), an independent voluntary organisation to bridge the gap between the residents and the homeless community.

Jo-Anne Friedlander, a member of the DPVO, says the original initiative started in April 2019 when DPV Watch became involved in a pilot project to address and provide support to the many people living in Van Riebeeck Park and to share information to all residents in the Devil’s Peak-Vredehoek area.

Friedlander says the neighbourhood watch’s idea was to do something proactive instead of complaining about the challenges.

“There were so many people living in the park we wanted to try something new instead of just complaining about it. We worked with Streetscapes to see if there was some intervention that we as the community could make to make a difference in people’s lives and help them move on out of the park into perhaps jobs and accommodation.”

Read the full article at News24.