 |
|
 |
 |
|
 |
|
 |
 News |
|
| Calendar |
|
| About us |
|
|
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
About L'Arche Beni-Abbes
|
|
 |
|
|
PO Box 132 |
 |
|
Can you help L'Arche Beni-Abbes? We are always looking for new live-in Assistants both local Australian people and those from overseas. Local people (of all ages) who are willing to commit to build friendship and relationship with our members with disability – this can be done through attending our Community gatherings, visiting the households for a meal and over time getting to know people individually – sharing common interests etc. Our Community has become a place of deep belonging for many people – those with and without disability. Ways to practically support the houses by offering your gardening skills, craft, cooking skills etc. People committed to pray regularly for our Community through receiving our newsletters with our monthly prayer needs on it. Financial support for our Community. If you feel you can assist L’Arche Beni-Abbes in this or any other way, please contact us! |
Beni-Abbes is a small community with two households, both in the same street in inner Hobart.
In one house four core members (people with disabilities) share life with two live-in assistants and in the other there are four core members and two assistants. The latter property has a small house and two separate two-bedroom flats.
There is also a group of live-out community members, some of whom have roles such as Community Leader and House Coordinators, others are friends, part-time assistants, Board Members and volunteers.
Our History
Early in 1982, Mrs Marion Allen, a parishioner of Sacred Heart Parish died, leaving her house in 40 Pirie Street to the Church to be used for charitable purposes. So the question arose of how the house could be used to best fulfil Mrs Allen’s wishes. The local priest at the time Fr Terry Yard had an interest in L’Arche and had a dream to see a L’Arche Community be formed here in Hobart.
Then in 1984, Eileen Glass (founding member of L’Arche Australia) brought Jean Vanier to Hobart to conduct an Easter Faith and Light Retreat. This visit also included Public Meetings, meetings and shared meals with parishioners and Media Interviews. A number of people expressed interest in becoming part of a group to decide on the future of 40 Pirie Street after this visit. One of the most faithful of these people was Margaret Wilkinson, who was later asked by Jean to become the ‘Shepherd’ of the Community after it was established.
It was after this Retreat, that the future use of the house began to be discerned –a L’Arche home would fill a definite need in the wider community and because L’Arche was an already established organisation, it would help and support the group getting started. The Guidelines and Charter would help the Community avoid many pitfalls so that the future health of the Community would be more assured, it would enjoy the benefits of belonging to a world-wide family and we would be blessed by the gifts that the future core members would bring.
An Executive committee was established and the hard work to find funding and fulfil the required criteria for becoming a L’Arche began. Eventually, in January 1986, Emmanuelle Wacrenier, the then Regional Coordinator of L’Arche in Australia, appointed Peter Ryan as Founding Director with Anne Huxley and Greg Burles as founding Core Members. L’Arche Beni Abbes had been born.
Today Beni-Abbes is a small but vibrant Community with two households, where 8 members with disability share home with 5 live-in assistants(across the two homes).
Each house is supported by: live-out House Coordinators; part-time Assistants and a group of committed friends. Beni-Abbes also supports 7 members with disability to live independently in their own units/flats around the Hobart area.
We spend time together living the “everydayness” of life together but also spend time socializing together attending Community gatherings and fun social outings together.
top 
Privacy Enquiries 