The Street Children Project was initiated during 1996 by a partnership between ACVV Port Elizabeth Central and Youth for Christ in an effort to address the plight of street children in Port Elizabeth, after several organisations had been struggling for many years to co-ordinate these services.

ACVV provided professional input regarding the following:

• Development of control systems and a database
• Development of educational and therapeutic programmes e.g. assessments, counselling services, etc.
• Children’s Court inquiries
• Supervision services and in-service training of staff
• Registration of the shelter and children’s home
• Subsidy applications

The services developed into a three-phase project, which consisted of outreach/street-work programmes, a shelter and a children’s home which were situated in North End and Central respectively.

Baakens Valley Children’s Home (now known as ACVV KHAYALETHU YOUTH CENTRE) had been registered as a children’s home with the Department off Social Development on 22 October 1999.

A Developmental Quality Assessment was conducted during August 1999 and the report proved it to be a viable project. The following important comments were made:

• Services to street children should be multi-faceted and cost effective.
• Traditional forms of alternate care do not work with street children, nor can the children be assimilated into conventional children’s homes as they do not meet the entrance criteria.
• Specialised services to street children should be offered and supported by the State.
• The programme presented by the Baakens Valley Children’s Home (now known as ACVV  Khayalethu Youth Centre) had the potential to be not only appropriate, but also highly effective for street children transferred there from a shelter.

(DQA Report 1999)