MacKillop House: Offering hope and safety for vulnerable women

Sr Noelene Quinane

Sr Noelene Quinane walks up the steps at MacKillop House, the delicious smell of fresh, homemade brownies wafting in her wake.

“I try to bring something along with me every week,” she said.

“The women here are so precious; it is all about letting them feel that they are really home.”

MacKillop House, once a home for Sisters of Saint Joseph in training, reopened in June 2020 as a place of refuge and safety for homeless women.

“I was one of the very first sisters to inhabit this place,” Sr Noelene said.

“It was opened in 1969, and when we came in 1968, it wasn’t ready, so we slept down at the O’Connor convent, head to toe on the balcony, and had such fun. When we moved up here, it was such a treat to have this beautiful place.”

When MacKillop House opened as transitional housing, Sr Noelene volunteered her services to CatholicCare Marymead. She began working tirelessly to support the community, with a particular focus on raising awareness of homelessness and telling the story of the hope MacKillop House offers vulnerable women.

“It is lovely to see the repurposing and the aliveness of MacKillop House today,” she said.

“It’s doing so much to meet the needs of ACT women, but it is only the tip of the iceberg, which is sad. The need is great. But we do what we can, and the rooms here are never empty.”

Since opening its doors, MacKillop House has become home to 125 single women in the ‘big house’, while the six Villas on the same property have become home to 20 mothers with some 34 accompanying children.

“Because over 90% of the women are escaping domestic violence, they live in fear and anxiety and just need to feel safe,” Sr Noelene said.

“I will always put my hand up for homeless women, be an advocate for them – a voice for the voiceless – and work hard to enable them to have a comfortable life in a difficult period of their lives.”

While MacKillop House offers temporary housing, staff support the women in their search for long-term accommodation, including government housing, for which there is a waiting list of over 3000 people.

“It is a privilege to play a small part in the journey of our women at MacKillop House,” Sr Noelene said.

“This place offers a ministry lived in the legacy and vision of St Mary MacKillop. It is a safe place where women have their dignity upheld, feel a deep sense of care and support and are given hope for a new future. It really touches my heart to companion with these beautiful women.”

Sr Noelene said she always had a call to reach out to the most vulnerable.

“I think that is a Gospel call that all of us have to consider,” she said.

“My family taught me so much about caring for people in need. I give thanks for my parents’ legacy of faith, family, and service to others. Everyone is familiar with the quote ‘Never see a need without doing something about it.’ That’s a pretty tall order, actually. But we can each show some kindness every day, and that can make a huge difference.”

Sr Noelene said the most important thing MacKillop House offered was hope.

“It is the uppermost, really. Upholding their dignity and renewing their sense of self-worth. We are giving them hope that things can be better. The whole aim is to help them have the confidence and the trust to believe it can be so, and to take steps towards a better future,” she said.

“This is the Year of Hope, of course. And this place is what hope is all about.”