In the middle of a busy street in Pretoria, there is a safe haven for homeless men who want to escape the effects of substance abuse. Reliable House, close to the University of Pretoria’s (UP) Hatfield Campus, has become a model of how students, university staff and the community can enrich the lives of others.

Under the leadership of UP’s unit for Community Engagement the project, on the corner of Park and Festival Streets, started in 2016. Previously the site was neglected land used as a hideaway by drug addicts and as a garbage dump by others.

The idea was not to drive the homeless people out of the community, nor to find a solution for them, but to invite them to become part of the solution. Reliable House was turned into a no-harm and training centre, and almost all UP faculties have been involved through their curriculum-related community engagement activities. More than 20 000 UP students are involved in community engagement projects annually, and UP is one of a few universities which is part of the global University Social Responsibility Network.

The Reliable House site was cleaned up by removing 600 tons of rubbish and building 12 Wendy houses, which serve as transitional housing for about 34 people at a time who are readying to reintegrate into society. The site also has its own no-harm centre (clinic), a sick bay, and a library and training centre. An ablution block on the site was renovated.

Gernia van Niekerk, UP’s unit manager for Community Engagement, says the men living there chose the name themselves. “We realised that people needed help. Not only to be rehabilitated from substance abuse, but on various levels: Socially and also psychologically.”

Once men commit to Reliable House, they also commit to the programme to help them with recovery, and to live there and work towards being transitioned back into society. This process could take anything from six months up to two years.

On arrival the men get help to replace their identity documents, as generally they have lost them along the way. They are also assisted with opening a bank account are helped with finding jobs in the area.

The homeless people who are in recovery choose to be referred to as “change-makers”. In short, Reliable House was established upon the realisation that society continues to ignore the fact that these men need help. If homeless men keep on becoming a social problem and a threat to the community, then the focus should be on helping them.

Food gardens are planted, skills training and motivational talks are provided, remedial services and therapy are offered, and the infrastructure is maintained and developed. The residents also work with outside partners. All of this is voluntary, and the aim is always to integrate people back into society.

Gerhardus van der Laarse, a UP engineering student involved at Reliable House, says their faculty helped to install gutters on all the Wendy houses in order to channel rain water to huge water tanks. The water is used in the vegetable gardens.

“We really wanted to show that we as engineering students are committed to change. During lockdown we actually had a bit more time and we could get out and work. It was really nice to do,” he said. “What UP has done and learnt at Reliable House has become a model as far as ensuring the well-being of the homeless by providing shelter, primary healthcare, skills in personal hygiene, and the necessary therapy and skills needed for them to be transitioned back into society.”

Van Niekerk says the success in the partnership between the university, businesses, residence and the homeless lies in the fact that it brought together people from all levels in the community. “The partnership has built a stronger community. Most members of the community have realised that it is each member’s responsibility to take control of their future as a community. What we have learned from the situation is that nobody is more important than anyone else.”