Obs rehab merges with U-Turn

The Beth Rapha recovery home for adults in Barrington Road has recently merged with well-known homeless organisation, U-Turn Ministries to become one organisation.

Beth Rapha has been in Observatory for more than 10 years, first operating in Grant Street as a free rehabilitation centre for male and female street dwellers.

They had since implemented a Christian based seven-step recovery programme for recovering male addicts.

Sam Voss, director of U-Turn Ministries, a non-profit organisation known for their work with the homeless, said that through their work with drug and alcohol addiction, they wanted to join forces with another organization that had a similar aim as their own.

This led to the partnership between the two organisations.

"After considering different partnership models, Beth Rapha and U-turn felt that the best way to proceed would be if we formally merge and become one organization.

"A merger will eliminate expensive overheads and provide better resources to help the vulnerable,§ Sam said.

Sam said that the Beth Rapha staff have joined the U-Turn team. The residents who were living at the Barrington Road residence, as part of the programme, will be enrolled in U-Turn's rehab programme."

"All clients that need drug and alcohol assistance would need to be referred via the U-turn Service Centre in Claremont rather than sending people directly to Beth Rapha," he said.

He added that the merger has to be celebrated as Beth Rapha and U-Turn can now provide better services with shared resources.

Sam encouraged Obs residents to support their efforts and send potential clients to the U-turn Service Centre in Claremont, 021 674 0400, for assessment and assistance.

For more information on U-Turn visit http://homeless.org.za/