When Home Is No Longer Safe, IHATA Opens Its Door
A story about the charity
Leaving an unsafe home is a brave first step, but rebuilding life afterwards takes strength too.
A woman may suddenly need somewhere for her children to sleep, food for the next meal, clean clothing, counselling, and help deciding what to do next. These needs arrive all at once, often during one of the most frightening periods of her life.
IHATA Shelter helps carry some of that weight.
Its 15 rooms in Heideveld give women and children somewhere secure to stay when home is no longer safe. The team helps families settle in, access essential care, and begin working through the decisions ahead without expecting them to have every answer immediately.
Support at IHATA also looks beyond the first few nights. Through education, skills development, and self-help programmes, women are given the time and guidance to rebuild their independence and prepare for a future shaped by their own choices.
The shelter welcomes women and children from every background. Since opening, IHATA has directly helped more than 4,000 women, as well as many children and families from the surrounding community.
IHATA has supported thousands of women through some of the most uncertain periods of their lives. JP Markets is recognising this work during our tenth anniversary with R10,000 for the shelter and the families who depend on it.
No woman should ever have to choose between an unsafe home and having nowhere else to go. IHATA makes sure another door is open.
