A year of
multiple milestones
Samantha Drury, CEO
Officially in our 60th anniversary year, we couldn’t be more proud of where St Bart’s stands today from its humble beginnings in 1963.
Starting out as a small homeless shelter for men, the original St Bartholomew’s House was established following a collaboration between a local doctor and the Anglican Archbishop of Perth. The shelter, initially mattresses on the floor of the Church Hall behind the Rectory of St Bartholomew’s Church in Kensington Street, East Perth, was the work of Archbishop George Appleton and Dr James Watson. Having been Archdeacon of London, the Archbishop suggested naming the shelter after St Bartholomew’s Hospital in London, which was founded by monk Rahere to originally care for the needy and homeless. And so, St Bartholomew’s House began, providing shelter and giving support to men in crisis in the Perth area.
Having evolved, diversified and grown since then, we now provide person-centred and trauma-informed recovery support services to more than 500 people each day including singles, families and the elderly.
As we embark on our 60th anniversary year, we will leverage this milestone to shine a brighter light on our organisation and its enduring legacy. In doing so, we will invite existing and prospective partners to join with us to not only celebrate the milestone but also to commit to their ongoing support of St Bart’s as we target an ambitious period of growth in the coming years.
Our anniversary also coincides with a significant refurbishment of our head office and housing facility in East Perth, thanks to a $1.575 million grant from the State Government. Now nearing its completion, our plan for the project was to strengthen St Bart’s ability to deliver trauma informed care and recovery services to its consumers. The resulting refurbishment incorporates a Psychologically Informed Environment design that aims to enhance wellbeing outcomes for St Bart’s consumers and staff.
Our spaces will foster a sense of community amongst residents, staff and visitors through the creation of new shared social and workspaces and engagement areas, including two yarning circles, that encourage communication, accessibility, collaboration and visibility. Existing floorplans have also been reconfigured to create new spaces that enable external agencies to run onsite clinics to support improved consumer outcomes.
While the heart of St Bart’s has always stayed true to its commitment to providing services and care to the most vulnerable members of our community, we are extremely proud of how far we’ve come and we are excited to share with our Anglican friends and partners our ambitious plans for the future.
