The Cornerstone Safehouse, outside Atlantis, is a haven for addicts who want to get their lives back on track.
The non-profit, on a smallholding in Kleine Dassenberg, was founded a year ago by Reno and Kaela Smit.
Reno is a former drug addict who lived on the streets for more than 10 years, in and out of rehabilitation centres.
He says the willingness to overcome addiction must come from within. The aim of the safehouse, as the Smits prefer to call it, is to help individuals who have reached the point of either making the choice to turn their lives around or choose one of no return. The safehouse lends a “helping hand” as addicts pursue the crucial choice to live.
“I feel there is a loophole in the system,” says Reno. “People who really want to change are sometimes curbed by circumstances, such as lack of money to pay rehabilitation centres.”
Reno and Kaela’s vision for Cornerstone is to create a self-sustaining environment where addicts don’t have to pay exorbitant fees for recovery and they can stay for as long as they need.
“We have an open-door policy,” Reno explains. “People are allowed to leave whenever they want. We create a support system for addicts to recover, but they have to do the work. We cannot force anyone into recovery.”
The recovery programme at the safehouse are based on Christian principles, but it welcomes people of all religions. The programme is nine months long, but most of the recovering addicts have completed it in less time. The safehouse can accommodate 20 people at a time and is open to males and females.
Although there are separate sleeping quarters, relationships between men and women are not discouraged. “When you go back in the ‘real world’ there will be members of the opposite sex. We equip residents with the necessary skills to deal with this ‘trigger’ and pursue healthy relationships,” explains Kaela.
The organisation also has a social worker, who visits regularly and works with the psychiatrist and dentist at Wesfleur Hospital, to assist residents, if and when needed.
One big challenge is lack of basic necessities, such as a water supply. The safehouse currently sustains itself through donations and small business ventures, like candle making.
It also has home-based studies for residents wishing to continue their education as well as team building, motivational and goal setting sessions, led by Yolanda Erwee, a former teacher who also handles the marketing. The safehouse will soon seek new premises with basic services and, to be self-sufficient, a garden for planting vegetables. Reno and Kaela encourages visits, arranging camps, becoming involved and donating time, old books and/or money. “Addiction is no longer a household problem, it’s a community problem,” Reno added.
- Contact Cornerstone Safehouse on 021 571 1006.
