For families and advocates
If you're looking for somewhere safe and steady, start here.
We run a smaller, more personalised support model built around routine, consistency, and a team that knows the people in them. If we're not the right home for your family member, we'll say so and help you look elsewhere.
What our homes feel like
The shape of the day.
A smaller model
A maximum of three participants per home. Quiet enough to settle.
Consistent team
The same support workers where possible, week to week.
Predictable routine
Meals, activities and the rhythm of the day, aligned with each participant's needs.
Family welcome
Visits, calls and updates. We'll work out what works for everyone.
Leadership on-site
Program Managers visit regularly and Team Leaders work onsite four days a week, not at a head office.
Common situations
If any of these sounds familiar, you're in the right place.
Most of the families who reach us are already deep in the system. They know what hasn't worked. They need someone honest about what might.
Looking for a first long-term home
Ready to move out of the family home or into SIL for the first time. Stable, no crisis, just the next chapter.
When home care has run its course
Family can't keep carrying the level of support that's needed, and you're looking for somewhere that can.
After a previous arrangement didn't fit
A SIL or other arrangement that didn't hold. You're looking for somewhere with more continuity, more presence, more care.
Building independence over time
Goal is to gradually build skills, routines and confidence, with a team that stays put long enough to see it happen.
Family staying close, on your terms
Visits, calls, Sunday dinners, weekends home. We work the home around what your family needs to stay involved.
More specific situations
If your family member is coming out of care, custody or hospital, or has had multiple placements break down, that's our specialty. See the OOHC page →
Programs we run
More than a SIL home.
Alongside long-term SIL, we provide a range of services to support participants and families at different stages. Here is what we offer.
Mentoring
A trusted adult, outside the family.
One-on-one mentoring for young people who need a steady, emotionally mature adult in their corner. Sessions are weekly with the same mentor each time, building confidence, independence, and a relationship that lasts.
Short-Term Accommodation (STA)
Short stays, planned around the family.
Short stays in a supported home, whether for a planned break, respite for the family, or a chance for the participant to build independence in a safe setting. Families get time to rest and reset, and participants get consistency of care while they stay with us.
Medium-Term Accommodation (MTA)
A stable bridge between here and home.
Medium-term accommodation for participants who need somewhere settled while longer-term housing or supports are arranged. It gives participants a calm, structured base during a transition, and gives families confidence that the right environment is in place while the next step comes together.
Funding lines vary by program. Get in touch and we'll talk through what fits your situation.
What we'll tell you upfront
Five things we'll be honest with you about.
01
If our home isn't the right fit, we'll say so.
We won't oversell to fill a vacancy. If we think another provider is better suited, we'll tell you and help you look.
02
We can't promise outcomes we don't control.
We can promise the structure, the team, and our part of the work. The rest is the person doing the hard work themselves.
03
Things will sometimes destabilise.
When they do, we tell you. We don't wait for the next review. We don't soften what happened.
04
Visits and family contact are welcome.
Bring food. Bring photos. Stay for dinner. We'll work out what suits your family and the home.
05
We hire slow. We don't fill shifts overnight if someone calls in.
The trade-off for a stable team is that we won't plug a gap with someone we don't know. We'd rather you knew.
The mentor
Someone whose job is to know your son or daughter.
Every Sanctuary home has a team who do the day-to-day work, the routine, the meals, the shifts. Sitting alongside them is a role we built that exists for the people in the home, not the operations.
The mentor knows every participant by name. They know what each home is dealing with that week. They're the person who notices when a routine is starting to slip, before it becomes a problem.
When you call us to ask how things are going, this is the person who can tell you.
Visiting and questions
The first conversation is just a conversation.
Most families start with a phone call. You tell us where things are at. We tell you what we can and can't do. If it looks like a fit, we'll organise a visit. If it doesn't, we'll point you in a direction that might.
Bring your questions. Bring your scepticism. Both are fair.
Reach out and we'll come back to you.
One business day for messages. Call us directly if it's urgent.