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Topping Out of New Generation Catherine House

We recently marked a major milestone with the topping out of New Generation Catherine House, alongside our partners Housing Choices Australia and Hindmarsh. This $36 million development will deliver 52 apartments and a dedicated Women’s Centre in the heart of Adelaide.

Purpose-built for women experiencing homelessness, domestic and family violence, and trauma, it will bring crisis accommodation, long-term social housing and specialist support services together under one roof.

We were so grateful to mark this milestone with The Hon Katrine Hildyard MP, South Australian Minister for Human Services, Minister for Seniors and Ageing Well, and Minister for Women; Louise Miller-Frost MP, Federal Member for Boothby; Nat Cook MP; Hon Senator Penny Wong, Minister for Foreign Affairs; alongside project partners and supporters. We are also thankful to our delivery partner Hindmarsh for their work on the project and for hosting the topping-out ceremony.

New Generation Catherine House will comprise 20 crisis accommodation dwellings and 32 social housing apartments, providing women including those with infants and children with access to safe, secure accommodation.

The dedicated Women’s Centre will offer trauma-informed recovery, education, wellbeing and training programs, helping women access support as they work towards greater independence and housing stability. The development will also provide 24/7 specialised on-site support.

The project is supported by a combination of government funding, including support from Housing Australia, the Australian Government Department of the Treasury, the South Australian Housing Trust and Catherine House’s philanthropic supporters. Without the commitment of our funding partners and supporters, we could not deliver such an important development.

Construction is expected to be completed in early 2027.

On the day, our Interim Director Deirdre Flynn delivered a powerful address from the highest point of the building, a moment that captured exactly why this work matters. We are proud to share a section of her speech below:

“As we stand here at the highest point of this building, I hope we remember this moment for many years to come and what it represents, for each of us, and for all of us together. Looking around, so much is front of mind, especially how exposed we are. An open sky, we are at the mercy of the weather.

For us, this experience is temporary. Soon we’ll return home. Back to our families and our daily lives. But for women experiencing homelessness, exposure is never just a moment.

It can be all day, all night. Exposure to rain, extreme heat, to uncertainty. to violence. To the loss of privacy, dignity and safety.

We are all are busy planning, planning for the future service for women in this building. Women experiencing homelessness tell us planning for them is reduced to: how will I eat, where will I find a toilet when I need it, and where will I sleep so I am safe?

Life planning is a privilege, not yet theirs. They must wait. Life as we know it, is on hold for them. While we are planning, builders are building, women are waiting.

For us, with homes and stable lives, waiting can be full of anticipation and hope. If you’re waiting for housing, life is consumed by fear, uncertainty and hopelessness. Constantly on alert in survival mode. Over time, the toll on the mind and body is profound.

That is why moments like today matter, even though the building is not yet complete. Perhaps that is the reminder, that we must keep moving with purpose and pace.

Because every day without safe housing is another day someone remains exposed.

Another day spent waiting.“

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