Hutt St Centre celebrates 68 years of rebuilding lives

We’re proud to be celebrating a special milestone for Hutt St Centre today.

On 7 March 1954, three Sisters of the Daughters of Charity opened St Louise’s House on the same site where our service stands today.

Through their work in the local community, the Sisters met many people who were suffering in isolation, sleeping in the surrounding Park Lands or living in temporary boarding houses.

With no money and depending on Divine Providence, the Sisters set about caring for people’s basic needs, providing hot tea and sandwiches at the gates of what is now Hutt St Centre. From the beginning, this service emphasised the importance of respect and dignity for each person.

For the past 68 years, we've worked hard to maintain that ethos and respond to our community’s needs with the courage, perseverance and resourcefulness of our founding Sisters.

Here at Hutt St Centre, we believe in a society that grants all people an equal chance to live a full life. And until that happens, we’ll continue to be the voice for systematic change.

We’d like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the remarkable resilience of our founding Sisters. We are endlessly grateful to them and to everyone who’s been a part of Hutt St Centre’s journey along the way.

Your kindness ensures we will continue to help those who need us in a way that’s both practical and empowering. We hope you enjoy some of our favourite historical photos from Hutt St Centre's archives.