From its early days as a Daughters of Charity soup kitchen to the Ruah Centre that we know today, the building at 33 Shenton Street has been a safe haven for people experiencing homelessness for more than 60 years.
On Thursday 25 August, 2022 the doors closed for good but for good reason. Very soon, building will begin on that site to create our new Ruah Centre for Women and Children: a seven-story place of healing and health for women and children escaping family and domestic violence.
It may be the end of an era, but it is not the end of the Ruah Centre.
We continue to work on a resolution to relocate the Ruah Centre and have secured an interim solution, relocating our team and providing essential services from the HepatitisWA building in Aberdeen Street, (8.30am to 3.00pm Monday to Friday excluding public holidays).
The heart of the Ruah Centre will go on, with the Ruah Centre team being on hand at 134 Aberdeen Street, Northbridge to provide walk-through support, emergency relief, information and referrals, document assistance and access to HepatitisWA health care.
We held a wonderful celebration of the Ruah Centre before the doors closed, and took the time to reflect on the incredible impact the Centre has had on the lives of so many people over the decades. The event brought together more than 100 people from all walks of life: men and women experiencing homelessness, sector leaders, Ruah team members past and present, board members and government representatives.
Take a look at the video of the day, which so perfectly captures the heart and soul of the special place that is the Ruah Centre.