Sacred Heart Mission announces retirement of CEO Cathy Humphrey
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After 20 years at Sacred Heart Mission (SHM), Cathy Humphrey will retire as CEO in December 2022.
“I feel confident the timing is right, both for myself and the organisation. When I look back on my time as CEO, I’m so proud of how we have grown together. I have no doubt the Mission’s work will continue to grow in strength and impact,” says Cathy.
Cathy was appointed CEO in November 2011 after managing several different service areas across Sacred Heart Mission including Aged Care, Sacred Heart Central, Women’s Services and the Rooming House Plus Program. Cathy served as a Director on the Board of the Council to Homeless Persons for 10 years and held the role of Chair from 2019-2021.
After working in the disability, community housing and homelessness sector for more than 30 years, both in government and in various not-for-profit organisations, Cathy will retire in December 2022.
During her tenure Cathy has led the organisation to grow in both size and impact. This includes the expansion of SHM’s innovative Journey to Social Inclusion (J2SI) program. Launched as a pilot in 2009, it is now a scalable Housing First program that is ending chronic homelessness, and has supported 300 people to exit homelessness permanently so far.
Cathy has also seen the organisation strengthen its revenue streams through a combination of growth in opportunity shops across Melbourne, successful fundraising activities and careful investments to grow the Sacred Heart Mission Foundation.
Leading the sector in measuring impact, Sacred Heart Mission has also established a measurement and evaluation framework to provide exceptional evidence-informed services, including a custom outcomes measurement tool, TICSPOT.
Cathy has overseen the delivery of a $27.3 million multi-stage redevelopment of Sacred Heart Mission’s properties, including a 97-bed aged care facility, Sacred Heart Community, which was completed in 2020. Sacred Heart Community is a home for life for people who have previously experienced homelessness. The last phase of the redevelopment project is due to be completed by early 2023.
“It feels fitting to be passing the baton in the same year we celebrate our 40th anniversary, as I know this next chapter for the Mission requires renewed energy and leadership as we head into our next Strategic Planning cycle. I’m confident the Board will identify a new CEO who can lead SHM into the next decade,” says Cathy.
Sacred Heart Mission’s Board of Directors have commenced the search for a new CEO with assistance from Brooker Consulting.
“I will always be part of the Sacred Heart family. It has been an honour and a privilege to be part of such a passionate and dedicated community and I can’t wait to see what the next chapter brings,” says Cathy.
About Sacred Heart Mission
Sacred Heart Mission (SHM) is a community services organisation based in Melbourne that for 40 years has been assisting people experiencing homelessness and social exclusion. SHM delivers support for clients to obtain housing, sustain their housing and address their specific needs to overcome disadvantage and participate in community life. Sacred Heart Mission is a trauma-informed organisation and works with some of the hardest to reach people in the community.
Lourdes Antenor is an experienced writer who specialises in the not-for-profit sector and its affiliations. She is the content producer for Third Sector News, an online knowledge-based platform for and about the Australian NFP sector.
