An Irreconcilable Policy Problem? A Study of Local Government Responses to Street Homelessness

Abrahams, Jane

An Irreconcilable Policy Problem? A Study of Local Government Responses to Street Homelessness

Thesis / Dissertation

2026

Publisher

University of Cape Town

Department

Department of Political Studies

Faculty

Faculty of Humanities

Abstract

Homelessness is a pervasive socio-economic phenomenon that has occurred across the world for centuries. Though a universal definition is difficult to settle on, it is largely agreed that homelessness occurs as the result of the dynamic interplay between economic hardship, social dislocation and various institutional determinants. Although homelessness affects all countries, regardless of their level of development, South Africa's complex history of racial discrimination, geographical and economic exclusion, and inheritance of deep, structural inequalities, has given rise to a unique form of homelessness, most commonly seen on the streets of the country's metropolitan municipalities. South African street homeless populations are highly fragmented and are extremely vulnerable members of the population. They experience intense marginalisation and exclusion from public places and are mostly incapable of supporting themselves. Although homelessness is largely viewed as a public nuisance and threat which the state must regulate, policy responses also see the state as having a social responsibility to provide support to the homeless. Thus, this study investigates how metropolitan municipalities manage the irreconcilable tension between policing and supporting the street homeless, using the City of Cape Town as a case study. Baillergeau's (2014) conflicting rationalities framework was used to analyse the City's response to street homelessness. Semi-structured, key informant interviews were conducted with city officials and representatives of non-governmental organisations. It was found that, as a result of inadequate national and provincial government frameworks for addressing street homelessness, municipalities in urban areas have struggled to balance the conflicting demands of maintaining the safety and integrity of public spaces, with the provision of social and economic support for those living rough on the street. Due to the compounding effect of chronic homelessness, guidance from the outdated Street People Policy (2013), the strict enforcement of city by-laws and insufficient institutional capacity and resources, the City has been unable to effectively balance the pressure of criminalising homelessness, with the provision of psycho-social and material support for these groups. This research concludes that although the City has been criticised for the manner in which it has historically responded to the street homeless, it has in recent years, been proactive in revising its strategy to manage the vulnerabilities which the street homeless face in a more humane way, whilst retaining its broader responsibility towards the protection of public spaces.

Keywords

homelessness

policy

Reference:

Collections

Masters

Full item page