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Jesuit Social Services
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  • About us
    • Annual reports

      Annual reports are one way we report on our activities and demonstrate our accountability. Read and download our current and previous annual reports.

    • Our leadership

      Jesuit Social Services is a work of the Australian Jesuit Province. We operate under an independent Board of Directors as an incorporated organisation.

    • Our history

      Our tradition is based in Jesuit Mission, with its focus on seeking what matters, finding God in all events and people, and on faith and justice.

    • Our impact

      Like our work in programs, research and advocacy, our impact is far reaching. Learn about the positive difference we create in communities around Australia.

    • International leadership

      Our leadership role within the global Jesuit community reflects our Jesuit and Catholic foundations. Learn more about a number of activities we lead in cooperation with others in the Catholic community.

    • Reconciliation

      Our vision for Reconciliation is for an Australia of equality where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and other Australians can walk side-by-side, acknowledging the past, but looking to the future.

    • Our purpose & Strategic Plan

      Our underpinning principle is to build and promote healthy relationships between the interconnected ecosystem of people, place and planet which, when damaged, lead to disadvantage, poverty, inequality, prejudice and exclusion.

    • Commitment to the environment

      Our programs connect with the natural and social environments in which they operate. They recognise that the natural world can play an important role in healing, and seek to nurture the relationship between people and their environment.

    • Commitment to diversity, equity & inclusion

      Jesuit Social Services is committed to being safe and inclusive for LGBTIQA+ participants and has achieved the Rainbow Tick.

  • What we do
    • Justice & reconciliation

      We work to keep people out of prison and help them to get their lives back on track. We also work to ensure that people leaving prison can successfully transition back into the community.

    • Disability, mental health & wellbeing

      We assist people to reduce harm to themselves and others, establish healthy social connections, and engage in their community.

    • Education, training & employment

      Not everybody has the same access to education or employment opportunities. We support people who have had limited access to learn, study and work.

    • Community & connection

      We work with communities we are invited into, building connections with people seeking asylum, newly arrived migrants, First Nations people, and those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

    • Housing & support

      Feeling safe, confident and comfortable at home is a crucial aspect of supporting every person to become their best self.

    • Gender justice - The Men's Project

      The Men’s Project supports boys and men to live respectful, accountable and fulfilling lives.

    • Just Places

      Partnering with communities across Australia, the Centre for Just Places supports place-based approaches to social and ecological justice. For us, pursuing ecological justice means acknowledging and working within the interconnected web of relationships between people, place, and planet.

    • Policy, research & advocacy

      The inequalities in our society are layered and complex. Research and advocacy helps us all to understand, empathise, and act: from community members to the Commonwealth Government.

    • View all programs

  • Get involved
    • How to donate

      For the child whose mum can’t find a stable home. The young woman struggling after a close friend’s suicide. The father looking for his first job, hoping to support a family. Your donation will help build a just society where all people can live to their full potential.

    • Bequest

      Your bequest will help us fulfill our vision of building a just society, where everyone has the opportunity to flourish, reach their full potential and make a meaningful contribution to the community they live in.

    • Volunteer

      If you’re passionate about building a just society, then help us transform lives by becoming a Jesuit Social Services volunteer. Volunteers are a fundamental part of what we do, making a highly valued contribution to our programs and service delivery.

    • Careers

      Find out more about opportunities to work with Jesuit Social Services. Together, we can make real and positive change in the community for those who need it most.

    • Events

      Join leading organisations, authorities, researchers and change-makers to help us address critical issues, explore ideas, and more.

    • For schools

      There are a range of ways your school can get involved with our work, including volunteering, fundraising with us, or having a speaker present to your students.

    • For businesses

      There are a range of ways your business can get involved with our work, including volunteering, fundraising with us, or booking a speaker from our Just Voices Speakers Program.

    • Student placements

      We take students on placements through partnership arrangements with specific universities that teach social work and youth work.

  • Research & advocacy
    • Policy submissions

      In addition to supporting disadvantaged people and communities, we offer a strong voice to advocate for long-term, tangible change. It's not enough to simply shine a light on issues: we need to illuminate a path to progress.

    • Research publications

      Our published research addresses themes such as communal disadvantage, support after suicide, youth issues, settlement and community building, and life satisfaction.

    • 2026-27 Federal Budget Hub

      Explore the key recommendations in our 2026–27 Federal Pre-Budget Submission.

    • 2026-27 Victorian Budget Hub

      Explore the key recommendations in our 2026–27 Victorian Pre-Budget Submission.

  • News & media
    • Media releases

      Hear our official position on a wide range of social justice considerations, with expert perspectives from people living and working in close proximity to the issues.

    • Our thinking

      Read messages and articles from people involved in our mission, along with event recaps, think pieces, and more.

    • Our stories

      Building a just society means elevating everyone, by supporting people to reach their full potential. Every success story is crucial; because none of us can flourish, until we all do.

    • Newsletters

      Our quarterly newsletter showcases the hands-on work we do and highlights our policy, advocacy and research achievements.

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  • Careers
  • Feedback and complaints
  • Contact us
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Careers
  • Feedback and complaints
  • Contact us
Jesuit Social Services
  • About us
    • Annual reports Annual reports are one way we report on our activities and demonstrate our accountability. Read and download our current and previous annual reports.
    • Our leadership Jesuit Social Services is a work of the Australian Jesuit Province. We operate under an independent Board of Directors as an incorporated organisation.
    • Our history Our tradition is based in Jesuit Mission, with its focus on seeking what matters, finding God in all events and people, and on faith and justice.
    • Our impact Like our work in programs, research and advocacy, our impact is far reaching. Learn about the positive difference we create in communities around Australia.
    • International leadership Our leadership role within the global Jesuit community reflects our Jesuit and Catholic foundations. Learn more about a number of activities we lead in cooperation with others in the Catholic community.
    • Reconciliation Our vision for Reconciliation is for an Australia of equality where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and other Australians can walk side-by-side, acknowledging the past, but looking to the future.
    • Our purpose & Strategic Plan Our underpinning principle is to build and promote healthy relationships between the interconnected ecosystem of people, place and planet which, when damaged, lead to disadvantage, poverty, inequality, prejudice and exclusion.
    • Commitment to the environment Our programs connect with the natural and social environments in which they operate. They recognise that the natural world can play an important role in healing, and seek to nurture the relationship between people and their environment.
    • Commitment to diversity, equity & inclusion Jesuit Social Services is committed to being safe and inclusive for LGBTIQA+ participants and has achieved the Rainbow Tick.
  • What we do
    • Justice & reconciliation We work to keep people out of prison and help them to get their lives back on track. We also work to ensure that people leaving prison can successfully transition back into the community.
    • Disability, mental health & wellbeing We assist people to reduce harm to themselves and others, establish healthy social connections, and engage in their community.
    • Education, training & employment Not everybody has the same access to education or employment opportunities. We support people who have had limited access to learn, study and work.
    • Community & connection We work with communities we are invited into, building connections with people seeking asylum, newly arrived migrants, First Nations people, and those from disadvantaged backgrounds.
    • Housing & support Feeling safe, confident and comfortable at home is a crucial aspect of supporting every person to become their best self.
    • Gender justice - The Men's Project The Men’s Project supports boys and men to live respectful, accountable and fulfilling lives.
    • Just Places Partnering with communities across Australia, the Centre for Just Places supports place-based approaches to social and ecological justice. For us, pursuing ecological justice means acknowledging and working within the interconnected web of relationships between people, place, and planet.
    • Policy, research & advocacy The inequalities in our society are layered and complex. Research and advocacy helps us all to understand, empathise, and act: from community members to the Commonwealth Government.
    • View all programs
  • Get involved
    • How to donate For the child whose mum can’t find a stable home. The young woman struggling after a close friend’s suicide. The father looking for his first job, hoping to support a family. Your donation will help build a just society where all people can live to their full potential.
    • Bequest Your bequest will help us fulfill our vision of building a just society, where everyone has the opportunity to flourish, reach their full potential and make a meaningful contribution to the community they live in.
    • Volunteer If you’re passionate about building a just society, then help us transform lives by becoming a Jesuit Social Services volunteer. Volunteers are a fundamental part of what we do, making a highly valued contribution to our programs and service delivery.
    • Careers Find out more about opportunities to work with Jesuit Social Services. Together, we can make real and positive change in the community for those who need it most.
    • Events Join leading organisations, authorities, researchers and change-makers to help us address critical issues, explore ideas, and more.
    • For schools There are a range of ways your school can get involved with our work, including volunteering, fundraising with us, or having a speaker present to your students.
    • For businesses There are a range of ways your business can get involved with our work, including volunteering, fundraising with us, or booking a speaker from our Just Voices Speakers Program.
    • Student placements We take students on placements through partnership arrangements with specific universities that teach social work and youth work.
  • Research & advocacy
    • Policy submissions In addition to supporting disadvantaged people and communities, we offer a strong voice to advocate for long-term, tangible change. It's not enough to simply shine a light on issues: we need to illuminate a path to progress.
    • Research publications Our published research addresses themes such as communal disadvantage, support after suicide, youth issues, settlement and community building, and life satisfaction.
    • 2026-27 Federal Budget Hub Explore the key recommendations in our 2026–27 Federal Pre-Budget Submission.
    • 2026-27 Victorian Budget Hub Explore the key recommendations in our 2026–27 Victorian Pre-Budget Submission.
  • News & media
    • Media releases Hear our official position on a wide range of social justice considerations, with expert perspectives from people living and working in close proximity to the issues.
    • Our thinking Read messages and articles from people involved in our mission, along with event recaps, think pieces, and more.
    • Our stories Building a just society means elevating everyone, by supporting people to reach their full potential. Every success story is crucial; because none of us can flourish, until we all do.
    • Newsletters Our quarterly newsletter showcases the hands-on work we do and highlights our policy, advocacy and research achievements.
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  2. Our stories

Our stories

Building a just society means elevating everyone by supporting all people to reach their full potential. Every success story is crucial because none of us can flourish, until we all do.

  • Community & connection
  • Disability, mental health & wellbeing
  • Education, training & employment
  • Gender justice - The Men's Project
  • Housing & support
  • Just Places
  • Justice & reconciliation
  • Policy, research & advocacy
  • Artful Dodgers Studio relocation marks exciting new chapter

    • 14 May 2026

    Last week, Jesuit Social Services celebrated the grand opening of the newly relocated Artful Dodgers Studio in Brunswick, now co-located with our Ecological Justice Hub.

  • Our Mental Health and Wellbeing Connect Centre's recent 'Family Fun Day' reminds us that joy can be a 'radical act'

    • 24 March 2026

    The smell of sizzling sausages and fried onions drifted through the streets of Sunshine last Saturday, drawing people toward the outdoor space of our Western Metro Mental Health and Wellbeing Connect Centre. Around 50 carers and family members from across the community gathered to partake in a ‘Family Fun Day’ - organised in collaboration with Satellite Foundation and Western Health - which included a range of arts and crafts activities, face…

  • Walking Towards Wellbeing: How Nature and Connection Are Supporting Carers in Melbourne’s West

    • 15 July 2025

    At Jesuit Social Services' Western Metro Mental Health and Wellbeing Connect Centre, a series of therapeutic nature walks is offering carers something they rarely have: time to breathe.

  • Embedding faith in action

    • 14 April 2025

    ‘Act justly, love tenderly and walk humbly with your God’. This is the mission of St Columba’s Catholic College in Springwood NSW, a school community that makes faith in action come alive for their students.

  • Serious fun helping kids connect after loss

    • 9 April 2025

    It’s a Wednesday morning in the school holidays. Some children are playing together in a school hall. It could be any regular school holiday program. Yet something more, something serious, brings these children together. They have all lost a parent to suicide. This is Support After Suicide’s program tailored to children: Serious Fun.

  • “It just didn't feel like a regular hospitality business, it was something more special.” A final farewell to our beloved Ignite café

    • 9 July 2024

    “It just didn't feel like a regular hospitality business, it was something more special.” This was the sentiment echoed by employees and customers alike as we recently farewelled our social enterprise Ignite café program in Camberwell, Victoria. Ignite café supported people facing barriers to work or training to build both skills and meaningful connections, helping…

  • “When I do art, I am free.” Thuc's story

    • 24 April 2024

    Thuc Tran, a participant in Jesuit Social Services’ Western Metro Mental Health and Wellbeing Connect program (MHWC), which supports the family members and carers of people with mental illness and substance use issues, is a true testament to the power of community support. Born in Vietnam, Thuc immigrated to Australia as a refugee with her…

  • School work that’s out of the box

    • 8 December 2023

    Ignatius Learning Centre students wrap their hands before boxing class. Teacher Nick Porter describes this as a “beautiful moment”. “It is a calming place – a time to clear their heads and set goals for the session.“

  • Art classes ‘helped me to feel pride in my culture’

    • 7 December 2023

    At our Willmot Community Hub in Western Sydney, up to a dozen Indigenous men have been gathering. Here, they paint canvases and Indigenous artifacts, and talk about their lives. Delander Hayes, an Indigenous woman and coordinator of Jesuit Social Services’ Western Sydney programs, describes the classes as, “a therapeutic space – kind, soft and gentle”.…

  • Connecting with someone who gets what it’s like

    • 5 December 2023

    “When I was bereaved by suicide, I was not just grieving the loss of a friend but grieving for all LGBTQIA+ people who face a transphobic and homophobic world each day,” says Immy Money, Project Officer at our new Support After Suicide Hub (SASH). “I was realising just how many in our community are suicide…

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Jesuit Social Services acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the land where we work and live. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging.

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We celebrate diversity, providing a secure, inclusive, and culturally sensitive environment for all individuals of all backgrounds, beliefs, abilities, orientation, or identity.


Jesuit Social Services
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • About us
    • Annual reports
    • Our leadership
    • Our history
    • Our impact
    • International leadership
    • Reconciliation
    • Our purpose and Strategic Plan
    • Commitment to the environment
    • Commitment to diversity, equity & inclusion
    • Safeguarding Children
  • Research & advocacy publications
    • Policy submissions
    • Research publications
    • 2026-27 Federal Budget Hub
    • 2026-27 Victorian Budget Hub
  • Get involved
    • How to donate
    • Bequest
    • Volunteer
    • Events
    • For schools
    • For businesses
    • Student placements
  • What we do
    • Justice & reconciliation
    • Disability, mental health & wellbeing
    • Education, training & employment
    • Community & connection
    • Housing & support
    • Gender justice - The Men's Project
    • Just Places
    • Policy, research & advocacy
  • News & media
    • Media releases
    • Our thinking
    • Our stories
    • Newsletters
  • Careers
  • Contact us
  • Donate
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