Empathy Over Punishment: Cape Town Pride Shelter’s Harm Reduction Approach

In the heart of Cape Town, The Pride Shelter Trust continues to lead with compassion as it provides critical support for LGBTQIA+ individuals in times of crisis.

Among its many services, the shelter’s harm reduction programme, led by social worker Angelique Scholtz, is transforming lives by offering non-judgemental, community-based substance use support.

Founded in 2011, The Pride Shelter Trust was the Western Cape’s first formal attempt to provide short-term accommodation to LGBTQIA+ people who have been evicted from their homes or outcast from their communities because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

At a time when most shelters were faith-based and often unwelcoming to queer individuals, the Pride Shelter became a safe haven. Over the years, its mission has evolved to promote dignity, self-respect, and empowerment, offering not just shelter, but real support for LGBTQIA+ individuals facing displacement, discrimination, and trauma.

“At the core of our harm reduction work is consistency, connection, and support,” explains Scholtz. “We’re trying to meet individuals where they’re at, without any judgement.”

Rather than taking a punitive approach to substance use, the shelter embraces a framework that focuses on second chances.

“We strongly believe in second chances here,” says Scholtz. “We try to work closely with the client to help them stabilise and build trust so that they can move towards either reintegration or unification where possible. That’s the long-term kind of vision.”

Importantly, the harm reduction initiative is not limited to Pride Shelter residents. “We also extended that invitation to LGBTQIA+ clients in a nearby shelter,” Scholtz says. “That really fosters a sense of community across the spaces.”

The programme consists of eight weekly group sessions, weather permitting, as many participants walk to attend. These sessions provide a safe space for participants to speak openly about their experiences with substances, support one another, and be guided by Scholtz as the facilitator.

The Pride Shelter Trust has also partnered with the Cape Town Drug Counselling Centre, which provides bi-weekly support for individuals currently using substances or who have a history of use.

The substances most encountered in the shelter setting include weed, alcohol, and tik (crystal meth). Scholtz notes that substance use can significantly disrupt the communal living environment, affecting sleep, emotional safety, and creating conflict. “It also makes it really difficult for them to reintegrate or unify in the time period given,” she adds.

That’s where harm reduction becomes vital. “Especially with substances, you have to try and work with the client,” Scholtz emphasises. “If we’re going to use punitive approaches, it’s barely ever going to assist people long-term. Maybe it will work in the interim… but to be able to have people stay abstinent or have a better long-term outcome, harm reduction practices are best.”

By focusing on dignity, understanding, and practical support, The Pride Shelter Trust is not just housing vulnerable LGBTQIA+ people, it’s helping them reclaim agency and build a future on their own terms.

For a community often excluded from mainstream support systems, initiatives like these are not only necessary, they’re life-changing.