Brady House was run by the Mission of St James and St John in partnership with the Church of England Men's Society in Strathmore from 1964. It was a hostel for young men, including those recently released from prison. It closed in 1978.
Brady House had a quota of reserved placements for young men recently released from prison. This was to assist them with readjusting to community life 'outside'.
In 1975, Brady House introduced work-release of prisoners, which was a means of introducing the prisoner to the outside world, 'so that he or she can gradually become used to the stresses and strains of work and/or family life whilst supported by an understanding programme'. Most participants in this program at Brady House stayed for about 3 months (Social Welfare Department annual report, 1975-76, p.7).
With the closing of Brady House in 1978, very few prisoners in Victoria participated in the work-release program (Department of Community Welfare Services annual report, 1978-79, p.54).
Sources used to compile this entry: Annual report: Social Welfare Department, Government Printer, Melbourne, 1961-1978; Annual report: Department of Community Welfare Services, Victoria, Government Printer, Melbourne, 1978-84; Monk, Joanne; O'Donoghue, Gina, Billylids and 'Home Kids': The Story of The Mission of St James and St John 1919-1994, The Mission of St. James and St. John, Surrey Hills, Victoria, 1994.
Prepared by: Cate O'Neill
Created: 9 September 2009, Last modified: 11 January 2019
Last updated: 7 August 2023
Cite this: https://www.findandconnect.gov.au/ref/vic/biogs/E000419b.htm
First published by the Find & Connect Web Resource Project for the Commonwealth of Australia, 2011
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