Claudine Harris works as a car guard in Fish Hoek, Cape Town. She has been homeless for most of her life since she was a child.
What is your name, age and birthplace?
My name is Claudine Harris. I’m 49 years old and I’m from Ocean View.
Can you tell me a bit about your life before you experienced homelessness and what a normal day looked like then?
Then it looked like everybody else with a home and doors that open. After my mother died I became homeless I was age of 8 or 9 years old. I'm turning 50 this year. All together I'm about 33 years on the streets. I have to travel from one corner to the next corner. No doors to open and call home. We have to deal with a lot, law enforcement and a lot of different kind of peoples. With different backgrounds with very tough lives. It all depends on you, what you going to do.
What led you to where you are now and were there particular moments that changed the direction of your life?
When my mother died it broke my bond with my family. There was no understanding no more. My father was a married man and so forth. There is actually not very much to talk about him. He belongs to somebody else you know. But still he is actually the reason I am here today.
What do you wish people understood better about being homeless?
About being homeless ... I would love people to know peoples aren’t being homeless because they want to. There is always a story behind the story. Like a scripture between the lesson. And so forth. It's really for people to reach out and to come meet the street people really. Try to confide in them. To come meet the persons for who they are. Not for just seeing them as street peoples, living on the streets. Because the majority like to think you a street person you like think you into stealing, eating out of dustbins, into drugs and don’t wash. But it isn't like that. I haven't got much achievements due to my crimes you see. The state actually took away my privileges of working in shops you see. So I can only do domestic work and all that.
What helps you get through difficult days and where do you find strength or support?
From God. He is the one and only.
It's really for people to reach out and to come meet the street people really. Try to confide in them. To come meet the persons for who they are.
If you could change one thing about how society responds to homelessness, what would it be?
Ja like living a normal life having a house of your own. So it doesn’t go around money and so forth but you have a roof over your head and so forth you have a lot to see through in life but without that there is nothing. Don't have parents. It's very difficult. To live outside its very tough and very very dangerous. You do need safety and security you see. All the things the state people offer you is just shelter. You must go to the shelter, shelter ... You must go live in a shelter. It's almost like you treated like animals because you don’t even pass a doctor or something to go stay in a shelter and that's actually where all the sickness is lying you know. They give you a six month period time to stay there, then off you must go stay on the streets again. They want you to achieve things in six months time which is actually impossible. Six months is actually a very little time for a person to uplift, find a job get a house and so forth. Its very little. Ja.
Where would you like to be now if you could?
In my own house with my children. With all my children. They stay with their grandmother - their father's mother. It's actually the best thing I could have done for them. Because to bring them to the streets the government would have taken them. They quite strict. I wouldn't have loved that. A dog doesn’t even throw away its puppies; why must I throw away my kids? They all girls and they are growing up well. I would rather prefer for them to stay with their grandparents than for them to stay on the streets. I thank the lord for them and that they actually not living the life I am. They do what it means to crawl before you walk. They still respect me as their mother even though I see very little of them. Miracles do happen. I believe in God and know in one way or another in his time he will open doors for me. Thats why I will never give up on God.
