Our Program

Our program consists of three main pillars: Live – Work - Worship

Our core focus is on our live-in Program beneficiaries. This consists of individuals who have become destitute for whatever reason and then come to us for help. We assist people regardless of their gender, race, background and religion. Although we are not a registered rehabilitation centre, addiction is a common component of homelessness and our Program is designed to address this.

Individuals applying to Vistarus come in for an interview and commit to a minimum 3 month (the purely destitute) or 6 month (addiction related homelessness) Program. The 3 or 6 month period is a guideline, as it often takes longer than this minimum timeframe to rebuild the foundation of one’s life adequately to be stable once released from the Program.

Once successfully completed, the individual would come for an Exit interview to assess their personal development and determine whether they would be ready to start searching for gainful employment to re-enter mainstream society. Once successfully granted Exit status, the individual carries on with their Program as before, but are able to start looking for employment on Wednesdays. Once employment is successfully secured, the beneficiary completes their notice period and Vistarus assists them by offering the option of becoming a Renter at Vistarus. The benefit of this is that the beneficiary can enjoy the safety and stability we offer whilst embarking on a new transition phase in their life.

Live

  • We provide a safe environment to live in, whether a room or bungalow accommodation.
  • We have a clothing bank which provides basic clothing, shoes, towels and face cloths.
  • Our kitchen prepares 3 nutritious meals per person, daily.
  • A basic check-up by a medical doctor who serves us once a week.
  • Supervised clinic visits for chronic meds if required.
  • Bi-weekly personal toiletries.
  • Access to basic dentistry services.

Work

  • Vistarus is a registered non-profit organisation which receives no funding from Government. We all work in order to sustain the community of Vistarus itself by two types of work areas: Operational and Income Generating.
  • Operational work areas include: Kitchen, Crèche, Laundry, Cleaning, Gardens, Maintenance, Transport
  • Income generating: Plastic Plant, Recycling, Woodwork, Charity Shop, Tuckshop, Outside Projects, Wires

Worship

  • Vistarus is a Christian Mission Station with spiritually uplifting classes based on the Bible and Gospel of Jesus Christ.
  • We have two social workers on staff available for counselling.
  • Transport is facilitated for Friday Father’s House Youth (13-18 yrs) and Harvest Christian Church Sunday morning service.
  • Potential leaders at Vistarus attend the Year of Training course, which consists of a year long combination of specialised classes.
  • We also present the LiveSchool Missions Training Course.

Kids Program

  • Nearly a quarter of the Vistarus population consists of children.
  • Preschool children attend our crèche on the premises.
  • We endeavour to have all our schoolgoing children placed in local schools and make effort to provide all their schooling needs, such as schoolwear and stationery and transport.

Renters

  • We currently have 122 rooms allocated for renters.
  • People who complete our Program successfully have the option of becoming Renters at Vistarus, once they obtain gainful employment outside.

Amenities

  • Communal TV lounge
  • Library
  • Outdoor play park