Social worker Kate Cleary has transformed a run-down convent outside Canberra into a safe and welcoming place for women to stay, build life skills and be reunited with their children.
When working as a social worker at a Canberra jail, someone mentioned that an empty convent on rural land was available. Kate jumped at the opportunity. In her experience, the deep needs of women recovering from substance addiction were so complex, and their trauma so profound – particularly the removal of their children – that a more holistic and intensive model of care was needed. Kate’s project to restore the land and convent beautifully complemented her goal to restore hope to women recovering from dependency and domestic violence.
Since opening its doors, The Farm has helped dozens of women recover from substance dependency and reunited them with their children. Kate believes that whatever has been lost in a person's life can be restored.