60th Anniversary St Mary’s House of Welcome
Today, we are proud to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the official opening of St Mary's House of Welcome.
For many years prior to 1960, men who were homeless and disadvantaged lined up outside St Vincent’s Hall in Fitzroy to receive a sandwich from the Daughters of Charity at lunch time. The Sisters were never satisfied with this make-shift service and longed to have a Centre to which these men could be invited to be served a meal with dignity.
As a result, St Mary’s House of Welcome was opened by the Daughters of Charity on the 30th May 1960 to assist homeless and disadvantaged men in Fitzroy.
The initial building at 167 Brunswick Street, provided a kitchen and dining room, clothing storage, office space, shower facilities for men and bathing and clinic facilities. On the first day of operation over 90 men were served a lunch of soup, sandwiches and tea. Within a year, more than 250 people were arriving each day for lunch.
Today – 60 years later - St Mary's House of Welcome provides essential basic services and vital psycho-social and program supports to hundreds of men and women who are homeless and experiencing poverty, severe and persistent mental health issues, and those who are extremely isolated and socially marginalised.
Over the years, thousands and thousands of men and women have been welcomed through our doors, and have been supported to find hope, experience belongingness and achieve to their full potential.
We were planning a series a community events to mark this important milestone in our history but, due to Covid-19, we have had to postpone these celebrations to a later date.
In the meantime, we wanted to share with you these images from our photo archives.
Thank you to all of our community members and supporters who share our mission to stand with people who are disadvantaged and marginalised to provide support, solutions and hope.
With your help, we will continue to be there for all of those who need us for years to come.
