Our History
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The Brothers of the Good Shepherd arrived in Hamilton in 1961 at the request of Bishop Joseph Ryan. They set up a men’s hostel in an old building at the corner of MacNab and Vine Streets where they offered food and shelter to mostly transient or homeless men.
As the needs of the community grew, so did the services provided by the Brothers:
1961 – The Brothers open a men’s hostel
1972 – The new Good Shepherd Centre men’s shelter begins operating
1982 – The Volunteer Outreach Program is established
1983 – Martha House opens as an emergency shelter for abused women and children
1986 – The Good Shepherd Food Bank opens on Eastwood Avenue
1990 – The Food Bank relocates to Parkdale Avenue North
1991 – Brennan House offers residential care to 15 homeless teens
1992 – SAGE Family Camp Program is established as a partnership between Martha House and the Catholic Youth Organization
1995 – The Food Bank relocates to the Good Shepherd Warehouse at the corner of Cannon & Mary Streets
1995 – Mary’s Place opens for homeless women
1998 – Emmanuel House opens as a 10-bed residence for individuals living with terminal illnesses
1998 – Notre Dame House begins sheltering street youth
1998 – HOMES program is established
1999 – Somerville House offers supportive housing to 10 women
2001 – Notre Dame House School offers street-involved and homeless teens an opportunity to finish their secondary school education
2001 – The HOST Program in Toronto is established
2005 – The Family Centre offers temporary emergency accommodation and residential support to families who have become homeless
2005 – Shelter Health Network is established
2007 – The Barrett Centre for Crisis Support officially opens
2012 – Good Shepherd Square opens. Two apartment buildings offer affordable housing to seniors and families. The Square also houses Good Shepherd Women’s Services
2014 – The Jeanne Scott Parent & Child Resource Centre opens next door to Regina’s Place (formerly Angela’s Place). In partnership with the Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board, Good Shepherd operates a school for young mothers while on-site child minding is provided for their children.
2014 – The Venture Centre Marketplace opens on Cannon Street East to offer a more efficient and dignified emergency food and clothing program, counselling centre and programming designed to break the cycle of poverty. The spacious and bright public area is easily accessible and provides a positive environment for clients, volunteers and staff.
2015 – The Little Brothers of the Good Shepherd fuse with the Hospitaller Order of St. John of God and become the Hospitaller Order of St. John of God – Province of the Good Shepherd in North America. The fusion provides an opportunity to draw upon the strengths of a much larger religious order while not affecting the programs and services provided by Good Shepherd or the name of the organization. To learn more about the fusion, watch the video Mathias and John: A Fusion of Hospitality. In 2026, the Order became the Hospitaller Order of St. John of God – North America.
2021 – Reaching Home Intensive Case Management and Rapid Rehousing programs were established to support homeless youth, women/non-binary adults, couples and families to secure permanent housing and promoting housing stability.
2023 – Health on Wheels mobile clinic hits the road to enhance services for people who face significant barriers to accessing healthcare through emergency shelters, drop-ins, patient homes and a variety of locations in the community.
2023 – Dorothy Day Place, opens as a supportive housing program for women (2-Spirit, trans and cis), non-binary and gender diverse people impacted by homelessness. The building has 73 units of affordable housing.
2023 – Seniors at Risk in Hamilton opens to facilitate interventions and offer supports for seniors impacted by issues such as dementia, abuse/exploitation, mental and physical health challenges, precarious housing, food insecurity and social isolation. It is operated by three social service agencies and offers Intensive Case Management for Seniors at Risk, Intensive Case Management for Seniors Living with Dementia, Gatekeepers, Senior Peer Volunteers.
2024 – Bakhita House offers short-term housing to single women and women-identifying individuals who are seeking asylum, with the primary focus of helping them secure permanent housing.
2025 – The Barton-Tiffany Temporary Shelter houses up to 80 people from encampments in a safe and respectful community environment where residents can work toward stable housing and other personal goals. The cabins are available to individuals, couples and people with pets.
2025 – Good Shepherd repurposes a former nursing home in central Hamilton. Now called Granada Place, the facility houses the Assisted Living program for seniors and people with disabilities, as well as the Transitional Beds program.
- The Transitional Beds program provides medical care to residents, upon discharge from hospital, who could be homeless, precariously housed or have limited ability to access health and community services.
- The Assisted Living program promotes the best possible ways to maintain independent living while respecting the dignity and personal choices of the individual.
