St. Joseph’s Outreach Services Inc. (SJOS), was established in 1998 as St Joseph’s South Yarra Emergency Housing Association by individuals concerned about the welfare of the vulnerable, marginalised and disadvantaged. The first facility to be opened by SJOS was a crisis shelter for families experiencing a housing emergency.

In 2002, the Association saw the opportunity to utilise an old, disused school building, creating a centre for emergency housing by establishing 12 fully furnished self-contained units.

In 2012, St Joseph’s South Yarra Emergency Housing Association became what is now known as, St Joseph’s Outreach Services Inc (SJOS).

In 2018, the underutilised grounds of the priory were developed to host a Harvest Garden.

Today, SJOS continues to operate and maintain 12 fully furnished self-contained units providing homes for vulnerable, a Food Store operating three days a week serving staple foods to those in need, a Bread Bank which is accessible to the community 24 hours a day and a Harvest Garden from which all produce is made available to visitors of the Food Store. Each of these initiatives support the community’s increasing emergency relief needs whilst doing so in a way that focuses on adaptive reuse and environmental sustainability.

All our services are delivered by a very diverse and dedicated volunteer team, made up of people from all backgrounds and walks of life, who come together, giving their time and skills, with a common goal; to help others in need.

Our Board consists of a group of passionate volunteers who oversee the operations and drive the strategic imperatives of the organisation. This diverse group of individuals bring professional skills in law, finance, architecture, web design, project management, IT, change management & HR. They are committed to the sustainability and continuity of the organisation in line with our vision, mission and values.