HISTORY

In 1993 Radio Fish Hoek (now CCFM) was birthed by the Fish Hoek Baptist Church and has been running successfully ever since.  Under the leadership of Mrs Avril Thomas, who was the Station Manager and her team of volunteers,  an outreach programme started in 2001 from CCFM radio station when 4 of the people living on the streets of Muizenberg died.  A daily soup kitchen was initiated from the radio station building as an interim means while local residents were trying to establish a Haven Shelter in Muizenberg.  A year later there was still no Haven Shelter and the plight of the homeless and unemployed became a growing passion of the staff at CCFM.  The Muizenberg Street Peoples Service Providers Forum was established in June 2002 and Avril Thomas was elected as the Chairperson of this Forum.

As relationships with the homeless people were developed it became evident that they all had their own tragic story and that there was a need to do more than just feed them on a daily basis.  The idea of an “Assessment Centre” was born as a means of assisting the homeless to make responsible decisions for their lives. 

In the early part of 2003 the old double-storied Standard Bank building in Muizenberg became available due to miraculous circumstances and after a series of meetings and much prayer, the Fish Hoek Baptist Church Community Trust decided to buy the building as another branch of the Living Hope Community Centre.  A formal offer was made on 26 May 2003 and it was passed into the name of the Fish Hoek Baptist Church Community Trust on 2 July 2003.  The building was purchased for R700,000 and completely paid for within one year.  The doors of the centre were opened to the community on 9^th July 2003.