Our Story
At the end of the 1970s, Sister Rita Barrieau noticed that many people were homeless and had to live on the streets.
Generous Sister Rita also noted that there were very few resources to house all the people in need in Greater Moncton.
At first, she welcomed, in her home, a woman in search of a home. As homelessness became more widespread and also affected men, she opened the first House of Nazareth on December 18, 1979. From the beginning, the House of Nazareth had three refuge houses and a farm to better serve women, men and families in need.
In order to grow and continue to help more people, volunteers formed a board of directors and created the first executive director position in 1994. Sister Rita Barrieau was able to withdraw from administrative responsibilities to devote all her time to the well-being of the homeless.
Sister Rita Barrieau remained an active volunteer with the House of Nazareth until she passed away on September 11, 2022.
Our vision
The House of Nazareth is a referral center on homelessness in New Brunswick. It offers a variety of quality services to homeless people in Southeastern New Brunswick.
Our mission
The House of Nazareth is a resources center for the homeless population in Southeastern New Brunswick.
Our mandate
The mandate of the House of Nazareth is to:
- Provide a safe emergency shelter and support services for vulnerable people;
- Foster community integration of vulnerable people;
- Promote the development of social housing, in the medium and long term, for people who want to reintegrate into the community.
Our values
Respect: A feeling of consideration toward others by treating them with special care and with a sense of fairness and justice.
Collaboration: Fostering collective efforts with partners and stakeholders who share the mission of the House of Nazareth.
Transparency: The House of Nazareth communicates quality and complete information, which means that it is accurate, contextual, easily accessible, and understandable.
Confidentiality: In an effort to safeguard information that could be harmful to individuals, whether they are beneficiaries, board members, staff members or volunteers, certain information will not be made public or accessible.
Diversity: The House of Nazareth promotes an inclusive approach to its governance, management and operations by ensuring diversified representation at all levels of the organization.
Empathy: Empathy is the ability to put oneself in the place of another person in order to understand his or her way of functioning, his or her present situation, thoughts and emotions (joy, sadness, suffering...) and to show great consideration toward others.
