St Francis House, located at 96 Redfern St Redfern, is an overnight shelter for the Homeless and will soon celebrate 2 years since re-opening. 

To date approximately 800 guests have been welcomed to St Francis House with a total of 1400 meals provided. This is the result of our extraordinary volunteers. The House opens at 6:30pm every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, welcoming up to 8 guests per night. There are 4 volunteers per night, 2 for the dinner shift and 2 for the overnight shift. 

The House provides a safe and home-like atmosphere for those in need. Your volunteering will mean someone not having to sleep on the street, especially those most vulnerable. If you would like to help, we provide observation shifts where you can come to the house, meet experienced volunteers, and learn what is entailed. Friday evenings are most in need of more volunteers. 

There is no required frequency to volunteer, though we see many of our volunteers returning on a regular basis. To register your interest in volunteering, please send an email to StFrancisHouse@oiu.org.au. 

We look forward to welcoming new volunteers in 2025 for this much needed 'home' for the homeless. 

Peter Goodman (OR1981) 

St Francis House Manager | OIU Committee 

peter.goodman@oiu.org.au