Melbourne has a new place of healing, refuge and recovery for those escaping family violence with the official blessing and opening of the Good Samaritan Haven, following six years of planning, design and building.
By Debra Vermeer
The Haven, which is located in a redeveloped former convent, will be home to women and children who are transitioning from immediate crisis support to longer-term support to help them heal and recover from family violence.
It grew from a collaboration among the Good Samaritan Inn (GSI), a local parish and the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne, with financial support from the Sisters of the Good Samaritan, the Good Samaritan Foundation, the Victorian Government, and donations from religious congregations and community organisations.
The GSI currently provides short-term case management support for between 60 and 70 women, gender diverse and non- binary people, children and young people every year. Guests are provided with crisis support, counselling, group therapy and referral to other specialist services as required.
The Chair of the GSI Board, Patricia Bergin, said the Good Samaritan Haven would expand on that support, to 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. There would be a particular focus on supporting First Nations and non-permanent resident women.
She said planning was also underway for a third facility that would further increase capacity to provide crisis accommodation. To be known as the Good Samaritan Village, it is expected to open in late 2027.
Photo credit: Max Roux Photography.
The blessing and opening of The Haven took place on 26 November, beginning with a smoking ceremony and then a blessing liturgy in the former chapel of the convent, which has now been repurposed as a children’s playroom.
The ceremony included the architect, Asher Greenwood from GKA Architects, handing over the plans to Patricia, and the builder, Lyle Hanvey from Leda Constructions, presenting newly appointed GSI Chief Executive Officer Jemma Mead with the key to the building. Afterwards, a small group of people had the opportunity to tour The Haven.
Good Samaritan Sisters Meg Kahler, Kerin Caldwell, Anne Dixon, Helen Mills and Sarah Puls were among those present. Patricia said the story and the history of the Sisters’ founding of the GSI and the Congregation’s commitment to caring for women and children in need since its foundation in 1857 was very much interwoven in the proceedings.
“The Good Sams’ story was very alive and strongly present throughout the whole morning,” she said.
At the official opening in the parish centre later in the day, invited guests included local state MP Anthony Carbines, representatives from the City of Banyule, the parish and Archdiocese, Family Safety Victoria and partner agencies.
Photo credit: Max Roux Photography.
Patricia said the opening of The Haven was the realisation of an idea that was sparked by a phone call between former Executive Director of the GSI Felicity Rorke and the chair of the parish council, on whose property the former convent stood.
“That conversation, six years ago, opened the door to the possibility that this parish land and convent could become a place of healing, refuge and recovery for women and children escaping family violence,” she said.
Patricia said that in 2024, 78 women – more than one woman every week – were killed as a result of family violence, with thousands more living with fear, coercion, control and trauma.
“The Good Samaritan Inn exists because women and children deserve safety, dignity and the chance to rebuild their lives free from violence,” she said. “It is our honour to walk beside them.”
Patricia said the vision for The Haven was shaped by the charism of the Sisters of the Good Samaritan, especially the two founding Sisters of the GSI, Anne Dixon and Helen Mills.
“In 2026, it will be 30 years since they first opened their doors to men, women and children experiencing homelessness, and 28 years since the opening of the facility we affectionately call The Inn, which we continue to operate today,” she said.
Photo credit: Max Roux Photography.
Patricia said that since then, more than 30 Sisters had actively contributed to the life and mission of the GSI. “Their legacy is alive in every room in The Haven,” she said.
As the new CEO of the GSI, Jemma said it was inspiring to see a project that had been so long in the planning come to reality.
“I was very lucky to come on board and in my fourth week in the role to be able to be part of the opening,” she said. “It was a wonderful day.”
Jemma joined the GSI from Drummond Street Services, where she served as Deputy CEO, overseeing a wide range of programs, including family violence response, mental health, youth services, LGBTIQA+ supports, and community engagement.
Patricia said Jemma brings “nearly three decades of experience in the community sector, with a strong background in family violence, housing, youth and family services, and community health” which will be “instrumental in guiding Good Samaritan Inn into its next phase of impact and sustainability”.
Jemma said the medium-term accommodation and services offered at The Haven provided a new model of supporting those who have survived family violence.
“The crisis accommodation and the incredible work we do at The Inn is short term and it is focused on ensuring people’s immediate safety and short-term stability,” she said.
Photo credit: Max Roux Photography.
“Once they move to The Haven they have the opportunity to have their own place and space, and they can really engage in the therapeutic supports, the wraparound life coaching and the Women in Work program, which allows them to hopefully re-enter the workforce and gain that independence, to be able to move out from The Haven after that, into their own properties and continue with their lives.
“This is a new model, and Family Safety Victoria is very interested in the model and will be working with the GSI to support an evaluation of the program that will demonstrate that this is a model that works, and it’s a model that many more families should be offered.”
GSI board member Good Samaritan Sister Kerin Caldwell said the opening of The Haven was a special occasion.
“The first thing that struck me is that The Haven is a gift that so many people are offering the women and children who come to live there. We can only imagine what it must mean for them now and into the future,” she said.
“My second thought was how different is The Haven, with its beauty and safety and possibilities, from what was provided by the Good Samaritan sisters at Pitt Street, Sydney in the struggling circumstances of the 1860s.
“And it occurred to me as I looked around at those present that ‘charism catches’. The charism and spirit of the Sisters and the story of the Good Samaritan, expressed in compassion and hospitality has been caught and awakened in all of those who have travelled the journey with us. It will continue!” said it is hoped that the first residents of the Good Samaritan Haven would move in before Christmas.
As she begins her role with the GSI, Jemma said she is looking forward to continuing to build the practice at The Haven, to put into action the new model of providing longer-term healing and recovery for families at The Haven while sharing those learnings with the broader sector, and to look ahead to the planning and development of the Good Samaritan Village.
“I think it’s definitely a time of growth, but it’s purposeful growth, and it’s growth based on a really strong foundation of decades of work that the organisation has done.”
This article was published in the December 2025 edition of The Good Oil.
From left: Lyle Hanvey, Leda Constructions; Asher Greenwood, GKA architects; Anthony Carbines MP; Patricia Bergin, GSI Board Chair; and Jemma Mead, GSI Chief Executive Officer. Photo credit: Max Roux Photography.
