Homelessness in Africa

BY Mahwish Moiz. LAST REVISED ON August 20th, 2023.

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6 great questions answered by experts

In recent decades, homelessness in many parts of the world has risen. This article explores homelessness in Africa.

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Why are people homeless in Africa?

i A lady and a child sit against a stone building.A lady and a child sit against a stone building. | People are homeless in Africa for many reasons.

Africa is an amazing and beautiful continent, home to many wild and exotic animals. It is also home, unfortunately, home to many unfortunate homeless people. Homelessness in Africa is increasing rapidly. There are many reasons why people become homeless in Africa.

Poverty

In Africa, poverty is one of the main causes of homelessness. Many people have no jobs because they lack education and skills or they do not know how to make the most of the available opportunities. They end up settling for low-paying jobs, hence they cannot afford proper housing.

Loss of home or displacement

Africa is highly prone to natural disasters that put people out on the streets. For example, Ethiopia has recently been hit by floods that affected over 200,000 people. Those living in the areas have been told to move from the potential danger.

In informal settlements such as slums, a fire outbreak is a feared danger that occurs sometimes. In Mali, people have been forced to flee as fire destroyed a camp in Bamako. More than 1000 people have been displaced and left homeless.

Eviction

housing

Eviction is a cause of homelessness in many homes. In some communities, African women face problems due to unequal property inheritance hence they end up leaving their homes.

Most Africans move to the cities searching for jobs. They end up settling in slum areas. Urban developers remove such settlements to grow the area. Sometimes the process is sudden and violent. People end up losing their homes and sleeping on the streets. In Kariobangi, Kenya; houses have been ripped down. Over 5000 families have been left homeless.

Divorce and Separation

Divorce and separation are increasing resulting in homelessness. Traditionally in some cultures in Africa, wives are inherited by other men after their husbands die, in most cases, by their husband’s brothers. Some widows run away to avoid such scenarios. Domestic violence at home may also cause people to flee from home.

Political and legal drives

Poor people have unequal access to land. During elections, politicians take advantage and promise land and housing in exchange for votes. Promises are broken; they result in eviction. In Kenya, 150,000 children were left homeless as a result of political violence.

Lack of affordable houses

Most houses in Africa are meant for the middle and upper-class. There are no low-cost houses for low-income earners. Hence, they end up in the streets.

What parts of Africa have the greatest problem with homelessness?

homeless man sitting on the street

Much effort has been put to estimate the size of homelessness in Africa. However, there are no reliable statistics for homeless people in the entire African continent. The definition of homeless differs from country to country. Census in most African countries is typically based on households; they do not consider people living in structures, on the streets, under bridges, and in public restrooms.

Homelessness in South Africa is a growing epidemic. 200,000 South Africans are homeless. In Kenya, a study conducted in 2019 showed that 20,095 Kenyans are homeless, the majority being men.

What can Africa do to help the currently homeless?

The state of homelessness in Africa is not something that can be single-handed. That is why Africa has come together to find ways of helping homeless people. These include:

Homeless Shelters

Most Africans build their houses according to the resources they have. Some have little to no capital to start their projects. With the help of partnerships, people in Kenya and Uganda living below US$5 per day, can access short-term loans. They can use such loans to acquire better housing.

Homeless people living in this area can also take advantage of such offers since they also live below US$5 per day. The Partnership between organizations aims at creating affordable housing in Sub-Saharan Africa.

This project referred to as ‘Building Assets, Unlocking Access’, has helped over 40000 families acquire houses and improve their living standards.

Community rehabilitation programs

African communities have developed rehabilitation programs where people eat, work, play, and worship together. After three to six months they are allowed to reunite with their families. The program has a way of reintegrating its clients after recovery. In Nigeria, 3000 people have received rehabilitation services from the community mental health clinic.

What can the government do to prevent future homelessness in Africa?

There are certain initiatives the government of various countries in Africa is taking to curb homelessness. They include;

Reduce the number of homeless people

Like homelessness in India, homelessness is Africa is increasing at an alarming rate. To curb this, the government is being strict with those people already on the streets to reduce the rate of crime. Those people in families that have issues are being taught how to solve their differences amicably. Those people who are at home but still find street life attractive, are cautioned against going to the streets.

Temporary housing

The government is providing temporary places for the homeless to stay. In South Africa, unused buildings is being used to host homeless people before they acquire their own houses.

Provision of shelter homes

The government is providing homes where homeless people live. They are separated according to gender. Here they get a special empowerment program, which helps them regain their self-esteem. Older kids are trained on life skills while others the young ones enrolled back to school

In Kenya, there is a boy’s home in Makadara where at the time of the interview, 170 boys had been rescued from the streets. They are taught how to become better people in the future. Anita homes rehabilitate girls from the streets and protect them from vulnerable situations.

What measures can African governments take to end homelessness?

Census of homeless people

It is vital to know the nature of homeless people on the continent. Thus, the African governments should create a census of homeless people. This includes the size and category of homelessness. This can help the government know whether the number is increasing; if yes, measures they can take to curb the increase. It will also help the government know the actual nationality of homeless people.

Avoid eviction

The government can make prior communication with Africans before evicting houses. They can give them enough time to organize themselves before forcing them out. They can purposefully make the process peaceful.

Provide affordable houses

The government can subsidize houses until homeless people become stable economically. However, they need to avoid reducing the efficiency of housing supply systems such as water and electricity.

Increase in NGOs programs

The government can increase the number of NGOs and programs that provide care and protection to vulnerable homeless people. Volunteers and agencies can also work together.

Free medical care

There are several public hospitals in Africa provided by the government. However, they charge small fees that most homeless people don’t have. The government can get rid of such fees to enable them to get access to medical services for free.

Engage the homeless in meaningful activities

Hunger and homelessness in all parts of the world has reached epic proportions. We need to focus on making sure the homeless are fed. The government can consider engaging the homeless people in activities such as clean-up exercises; providing food as payment if funding is lacking. This way they can get busy and have a meal.

What can citizens do to help end homelessness in Africa?

Homelessness is an issue that can be solved through deliberate collective actions. Concerned citizens might be interested in helping to try and reduce such cases. Below are some of the things they can do:

Understand the cause

Most of the people on the street don’t become homeless because of one reason. Rather, many complicated problems create a perfect storm resulting in homelessness. Before solving the problem, citizens need to research more about homelessness. This will help them familiarize themselves with the situation, hence coming up with the best solution.

Educate others

Not every African is fully aware of homelessness. Fellow citizens can educate the rest on the realities of homelessness. Dispel myths and tell nationals how they can fight it. They can echo their voices on social networks like Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, etc. Their small action can change public perception hence stopping stigmatization.

Embrace them

All human beings are social beings. Citizens can learn to strike a conversation with homeless people. According to homeless people, loss of dignity is harder to bear than the actual loss of material things. A simple like ‘hello’ can go a long way to making their day. Kind words can make them feel wanted and appreciated in society.

Donate

Honestly, not all citizens are rich; nevertheless, they can share what they have. It could be food, clothing, or even time. Citizens can join an organization or even form their own that works towards helping the homeless. They can also organize to get excess foodstuffs from schools and colleges to feed the homeless.

Equip them with skills

Homeless people cannot afford to go to colleges and campuses and get educated. Consequently, citizens can share the skills they have learned that can help them get a job. Many homeless people have the desire to work but they cannot get a job. Nationals can encourage churches and individuals to hire them so that they can be in a position to support themselves.

further reading

This article focused exclusively on homelessness in africa. What it focused little to none on, however, is how to help the homeless...

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key takeaways

  • Homelessness in Africa exists due to economic reasons, a loss of homes or displacement, eviction, social reasons, political and legal issues, and lack of affordable housing.
  • Credit data on homelessness in most African countries are lacking. But sufficient data are showing homeless people are increasing persistently in all African countries.
  • Africa is taking measures such as the provision of shelter solutions and community rehabilitation programs to help the currently homeless.
  • The government is taking measures such as reducing the number of homeless people, provision of temporary houses, and shelter homes; to prevent future homelessness in Africa.
  • The government can implement the following measures to end homelessness. They include; carrying out a census of the homeless people, avoiding eviction, creating affordable houses, increasing NGO programs, free medical care, and engaging homeless people in activities.
  • Africans can take the following initiatives to end homelessness: understanding the cause, educating others, embracing them, donating to them, and finally equipping them with skills.
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