The Stellenbosch Safe House provides victim empowerment services to victims of domestic violence, in terms of UN 2030 Sustainability Goals.
We provide housing, food, social, psychological, psychiatric services, as well as legal services. Coupled with this we provide skills development in various fields such as First Aid, Fire Fighting, Parenting, Self-defense and, Drug rehabilitation training. We have extended our service offering to include services to two communities on an outpatient basis. Women are not only skilled, but we ensure that when they leave they at least have housing and a job. This improves their level of sustainability.
Due to the fact that the South African government only subsidizes only 40% of overheads (R9 per day for a women in a safe house compared to R451 per prisoner a day in jail), there is a huge gap and need for more funding for the 16 safe houses in the Western Cape and with the recent crime stats that were released, there is a serious need for keeping these safe houses open and to open more safe houses in the Western Cape as we are inundated with requests to help women.
With the recent crime stats that were released there are obviously not enough safe houses in the Western Cape, we would like to openĀ another 3 safe houses in the area (Wellington, Franschhoek & Somerset West).