The Western Cape Department of Social Development (DSD) is on high alert and has activated it’s winter readiness programmes, to alleviate the effect of disaster situations on vulnerable communities, amidst the heavy rains and colder weather conditions that have hit certain parts of the province.
Although the legislative mandate of providing social relief of distress resides with SASSA, the Western Cape’s DSD has been working tirelessly to ensure that winter readiness programmes are operational in each region across the province. However, we require the support of other government agencies to help ensure that there are appropriate responses to mitigate the impact of disaster situations on vulnerable communities.
The Department’s major preparations entail the provision of additional bed spaces for homeless adults, social work services aimed at family reunification, and social relief of distress.
The DSD has staff on standby to respond to natural disasters such as flooding or fires by providing support services such as trauma counselling where needed and other forms of psycho-social support. The team further facilitates access to humanitarian and food relief by means of assessment before referring the case to SASSA.
The public is encouraged to get involved through volunteering or donating to registered NGOs operating in the province. Information on registered NGOs can be obtained by visiting any of our regional and local offices, or by contacting our DSD hotline 0800 220 250.
For more information about our other services, please refer to the Western Cape Department’s Website below or contact us on our hotline number on 0800 220 250, to be connected to your nearest local office.
