Loaves and Fishes

Loaves and Fishes describes itself as a place of renewal — and the word is carefully chosen. This is not a crisis shelter or a walk-in emergency centre: it is a Christian second-phase shelter, meaning it is designed for women and men who have already moved through acute crisis and are now engaged in the deeper, slower work of genuine personal transformation.

Located at 1 Chatham Road in Observatory — in the Southern Suburbs of Cape Town — Loaves and Fishes operates with a small but dedicated team including CEO Dr Ben Kotzé, social worker Hilary Michaels, social auxiliary worker Alfredo Januarie, a house mother (Millicent Pockpas Joolay), administrator Garth George, and maintenance manager Matthew Kotze.

Who Loaves and Fishes Serves

Destitute men and women between the ages of 25 and 63. The programme is designed for adults who have reached a point of homelessness, destitution, or crisis — often through addiction, fractured relationships, domestic violence, economic collapse, or some combination of these — and who are ready and willing to engage in a process of structured renewal.

This includes women who have experienced gender-based violence and homelessness as linked consequences, and who need more than a bed but a genuine pathway to stability, restored relationships, and self-sufficiency.

What "Second-Phase" Means

In the South African welfare shelter system, "first phase" refers to emergency intake — the initial safe space when someone has just left a crisis. "Second phase" is what comes after: the longer-term residential programme where residents can stabilise, address root causes, and build toward sustainable independence. Loaves and Fishes is designed precisely for this stage — not the first night of safety, but the months of work that follow.

What Renewal Looks Like

Spiritual renewal: As a Christian organisation, faith is central to Loaves and Fishes' model — not as a requirement for admission, but as the framework within which healing is understood and pursued. The mission is to be a safe place where broken relationships can be rebuilt, including one's relationship with oneself, with others, and with God.

Psychological renewal: Social work services are provided through qualified professional staff — including a social worker (Hilary Michaels) whose role is both therapeutic and practical: helping residents work through trauma, addiction, relationship breakdown, and the emotional weight of homelessness.

Material renewal: Residents receive accommodation, meals, and practical support — alongside skills and guidance that build toward material independence.

Relationship to GBV

While Loaves and Fishes is not a GBV-specific organisation, many women who have experienced domestic violence pass through journeys that include homelessness and destitution — and for those women who are past the acute crisis stage and need a structured second-phase environment in Cape Town, Loaves and Fishes may be an appropriate referral. Their social worker and mixed-gender structure make this a consideration for referral professionals rather than a first-response option for survivors in acute danger.

Loaves and Fishes: 1 Chatham Road, Observatory, Cape Town. Tel: (021) 448-5900. Email: [email protected]. Facebook: loavesandfishesCT. Second-phase residential programme — not a 24/7 crisis shelter. For emergency GBV support: GBV Command Centre 0800 428 428 (toll-free, 24/7).