Melbourne has a new place of healing, refuge and recovery for those escaping family violence with the blessing and official opening of the Good Samaritan Haven, following six years of planning, design and building, reports The Good Oil.

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.

*At the blessing and opening of The Haven were (from left): Good Samaritan Sisters Sarah Puls, Kerin Caldwell, Anne Dixon, Helen Mills and Meg Kahler. Photo credit: Max Roux Photography/The Good Oil.*

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 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 services focused on healing from the trauma of violence and abuse as well as building skills and creating pathways into training and employment. There will be a particular focus on supporting First Nations and non-permanent resident women.

Ms Bergin 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.

CEO of the Good Samaritan Inn, Jemma Mead, said the medium-term accommodation and services offered at The Haven provided a new model of supporting those who have survived family violence.

“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,” she said.

Ms Bergin 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.

This article by Debra Vermeer was published in the December edition of The Good Oil, the e-publication of the Sisters of the Good Samaritan.