Celebrating 40 years of support for women experiencing homelessness

Last week, McAuley celebrated 40 years of support for women experiencing homelessness and launched The Gift of Community to honour Regina Coeli’s legacy, which laid the foundations for McAuley’s work today.

The celebration brought together many of the people who form part of Regina Coeli’s history, including Sisters of Mercy, former staff, volunteers, former residents, as well as current McAuley staff and Board members.

Much more than accommodation, Regina Coeli was a community – a place for women who didn’t fit in elsewhere, who were homeless, dealing with mental health issues or family violence.

Regina Coeli was built on a simple but radical idea: living together in community. The Sisters welcomed residents for as long or as little as they needed, supporting them with dignity, respect and compassion.

While the original building closed in 2016, this made way for McAuley House Footscray and Ballarat, creating new places of safety, connection and hope for women experiencing homelessness.

The evening provided an opportunity to reflect on all that Regina Coeli and McAuley have achieved over the last four decades, including the many highs and lows of living alongside women during the most difficult periods of their lives.

McAuley also launched The Gift of Community – a history narrative preserving the Regina Coeli legacy. The booklet honours the Sisters of Mercy whose vision and commitment created the community, and documents the evolution of Regina Coeli and its influence on McAuley’s work today.

McAuley CEO, Jocelyn Bignold OAM, said, “What set Regina Coeli apart was not just what it offered, but how it was offered. The philosophy mirrored Catherine McAuley’s deeply person-centred, egalitarian, approach.

“The sisters and volunteers did not seek to ‘fix’ or ‘rescue’ women. Instead, they chose to live alongside them, sharing daily life in a spirit of respect and mutuality.

“Regina Coeli still shapes the work we do today at McAuley. Its influence can be seen at McAuley House in Footscray and Ballarat, where the focus remains on creating safety, stability and a sense of community for women experiencing homelessness.

“The Gift of Community tells this story, serving as a record of our history and a guide for the work we continue to do.”