Why does Life Boat close over Christmas?

This is a question we are asked regularly. And with good intentions too.

Surely, the festive season is a very lonely time for our clients, and they need our support more than ever?

Well, yes and no. Let me unpack some reasons for those who are concerned.

Life Boat Christmas lunch

Firstly, our staff need a time to reset. Not that it’s about us. But, Life Boat operates every weekday for the whole year. Our staff work tirelessly, and this year, we’ve seen more than a 30% increase in visitors to our centre. (Look out for our newsletter later this month to see exact numbers, but we’ve had well over 15’000 visits in 2025.) Our staff contingent, mind you, has not grown. And so, our staff devote themselves to our clients and deserve a proper break. Much like school teachers, their work is also selfless, self-sacrificial, and emotionally taxing, despite the personal fulfilment they also feel serving in this space. Having a slightly longer time to pause, reflect and reconnect with their own loved ones allows for a happier staff, and often our team come back in January with hearts re-ignited for the cause and the clients we serve.

Secondly, many of our unhoused friends try to reconnect with their own families over the holidays. That homing device so many of us have ingrained in our own hearts, signalling that we need to return to our family homes over this time of year, is also present in the hearts of those who live on the streets for most of the year. They know that it is a season for forgiveness and sharing love, and thus feel more confident to attempt to return to their loved ones or community. It makes sense that a wayward son would be welcomed to a family celebration if he arrives home at Christmas. It seems possible that a forsaken daughter can return and be allowed a safe haven for a while as Boney M plays in the background. We look to the story of the prodigal son and pray that for some of our clients, these reconnections can be part of their repatriation story. We pray that we hear happy news a few months into the new year that a friend who was homeless has been welcomed home again and helped by his own community.

Thirdly, the streets empty out over the festive season and those who beg for scraps for a living need to move on to find people who will give them something. You may not have noticed it before, but over the festive season, our city empties out. Our friends from the streets need to find a way to hustle for survival. Perhaps, like so many, you will be on holiday far away from Pietermaritzburg, but if you happen to be in the area, take a drive through the CBD one night and you will notice considerably fewer rough sleepers there. They’ve moved to where they may be able to generate some more income. Some to eThekweni, some further afield.

And finally, people are more generous this time of year, and our clients have less need for our services. For those who do stay on our streets, who don’t have communities to return to, who don’t move out of the city to hustle elsewhere, they are often the recipients of some seasonal generosity. Faith-based institutions and do-gooders in general drive the streets this time of year and share meals, gifts, and even offer a bit of kindness. So, our clients, who are often invisible for most of the year, are seen through different lenses for a short while. You will hear people showing concern over their well-being, who have never noticed them before December, and that is something we pray becomes a nudging towards being more aware for more of the year.

In short, we close because we have fewer clients, who also need us much less, and our staff need to refuel. In January, the streets will become busy again, and our friends who live on the streets will return from their travels, only to fade into the obscurity of invisibility once more. They will need us to provide the meals, the services, and the sense of family they wish for. That is when we – as a team - need to be rested, envisioned, and ready to serve them with love, all over again.  

PS We don't close for the year without first giving our friends from the street a lovely Christmas celebration at Life Boat, with carols, a tree, and a delicious meal! And it is a day when volunteers and friends are always welcome. - CH