A redeveloped former convent within the City of Banyule in Melbourne will soon throw open its doors to women and children who are transitioning from immediate crisis support to longer-term support to help them heal and recover from family violence.
By Debra Vermeer
The residential accommodation, to be known as the Good Samaritan Haven, has been years in the planning and construction, and is currently on track to be opened and blessed late this year.
It is a collaboration between the Good Samaritan Inn, the local parish and the Archdiocese of Melbourne, with financial support from the Sisters of the Good Samaritan, the Good Sams Foundation, the Victorian Government, and donations from religious congregations and community organisations.
It brings to life a vision from the parish to utilise the convent building for social housing, along with the Good Samaritan Inn’s desire to expand its accommodation service to provide women and children with ongoing care and support after their time in crisis care.
The Inn provides short-term case management support for between 60 and 70 women, gender diverse and non-binary people, children and young people every year. While funding for the crisis accommodation is based on a 56-day stay, the Inn has provided refuge and support for much longer than this, with the average length of stay being 105 days (as at August 2025).
Progress on the Good Samaritan Haven. Image: GKA architects.
Guests are provided with a bed, meals, crisis support, counselling, group therapy and referral to other specialist services as required. The availability of skilled and qualified staff members 24/7 enables crucial emotional support when it is needed most.
The Chair of the Good Samaritan Inn board, Patricia Bergin, said the Good Samaritan Haven would accommodate its guests for up to 12 months and provide a full suite of support services focused on healing from the trauma of violence and abuse as well as building skills and creating pathways into training and employment.
“Good Samaritan Haven will be operating with a particular service model that incorporates coaching, therapeutic programs, employment support and local service navigation and engagement,” she said.
Patricia said the foundation of the service model was recovery and healing, strengthened by trauma-informed supports, economic/personal empowerment, and community, to help break down barriers and cycles of violence.
Initially, guests will be referred from the Good Samaritan Inn and, eventually, from other providers, with special provision made for First Nations guests and those who are not permanent residents.
Women and children who will be referred to the service will be in a post-immediate crisis phase and able to thrive independently. They will have expressed readiness and willingness to set goals that will help overcome barriers to their recovery. And they will feel ready to move from a predominantly case-management model to a coaching model, which fosters greater autonomy.
Progress on the Good Samaritan Haven. Image: GKA architects.
Patricia said the redeveloped convent building had four towers of accommodation, containing 10 units, ranging from one bedroom to three bedrooms, and particular thought and planning had gone into the outside spaces.
“The landscaping, community spaces, and thoughtful integration of art and environment are testimony to our commitment to creating more than just buildings – they are places of renewal and hope,” she said.
Patricia paid tribute to the Good Samaritan Inn’s former Executive Director, Felicity Rorke, who had been one of the key drivers of the Good Samaritan Haven project, before stepping down from her role earlier this year.
“Felicity’s leadership over many years has been instrumental in shaping the Good Samaritan Inn into the organisation it is today,” she said.
“Through her vision and commitment, the Inn has expanded its services and pursued bold growth. She has built enduring partnerships across the government, community, and church sectors, and has ensured that women and children remain at the heart of all we do.”
Patricia also thanked interim Executive Director Julie Jenkin for her role in seeing the project through to completion, members of the Good Samaritan Inn board who had played an active role throughout the process, and significant donors to the project.
She paid particular tribute to the support of the Sisters of the Good Samaritan.
“Their encouragement, financial support and confidence in our work have been invaluable,” Patricia said. “They continue to guide us with clarity of purpose and with the strength of the Good Samaritan charism, which remains at the heart of all we do.”
Sister Kerin Caldwell SGS, a member of the Good Samaritan Inn board, said the Good Samaritan Haven would be “a continuation of the legacy of the Good Samaritan Sisters”, who have been engaged in ministry to women and children from their foundation in Sydney in 1857.
“The Inn remains faithful to our Good Samaritan charism and mission, which calls us all to extend compassion, hospitality and care to those in need,” she said.
Kerin said the new facility would not only offer a home and safety for families but an experience of belonging and welcoming, and an opportunity for building confidence and empowerment through the services provided.
“It will offer a time for recovery and healing, a new beginning, and a life free from fear,” she said.
Sister Anne Dixon SGS, who, with Sister Helen Mills SGS, founded the Inn in 1996 as a modest shelter for homeless women in the suburbs of Melbourne, said she was delighted that the new facility was soon to open as the Good Samaritan Haven.
“What a great name!” she said. “I immediately think of safety and sanctuary when I hear this word. It is SO appropriate. Women find shelter at the Good Sam Inn, and then some can move on to a safe Haven to continue their healing and continue to be helped to begin a new life.
“Never in our wildest dreams did Helen and I think that some 30 years after our humble beginnings in Westgarth that there would be an extension.
“I am so grateful for all the staff and volunteers who have continued on the spirit of the first years – a home where people can feel safe and loved. God is good!”
Meanwhile, Patricia said planning was also underway for a third facility, to be known as Good Samaritan Village, which would further increase capacity to provide crisis accommodation. It was made possible through capital funding received through the Federal Government’s Safe Places Inclusion Round and will open in late 2027.
Anyone interested in supporting the Good Samaritan Inn is welcome to contact the Inn via the website.
This article was published in the September 2025 edition of The Good Oil.
