Salvation Army’s Magpie Nest Cafe for rough sleepers reopens after 12 months

An “oasis” for Melbourne’s vulnerable people has reopened after being shut during the pandemic.

Collingwood AFLW player Chloe Molloy and netballer Shimona Nelson serve Tony McDermott. Picture: Rob Leeson

An “oasis” for Melbourne’s vulnerable people has finally reopened after being closed during the coronavirus pandemic.

The Salvation Army’s Magpie Nest Cafe in Bourke Street has been a welcoming place for rough sleepers to get a meal and a hot drink for years.

But the cafe was forced to shut down during COVID-19 restrictions in 2020, although takeaway meals and drinks have been provided from a laneway window over the past 12 months.

The facility is now open for breakfast and lunch from 9am-2pm, but the Salvos have applied to the state government for the night service to resume, in which 180 people routinely stay overnight.

New Collingwood president Mark Korda with Pies supporter Greg Tickner at the Bourke Street cafe. Picture: Rob Leeson.

Collingwood Football Club sponsors the cafe, along with other Magpie Nest ventures such a social housing and a women’s program.

Salvation Army Project 614 provides wraparound services for the vulnerable with support from the City of Melbourne and state Department of Health and Human Services.

Project 614 leader Major Brendan Nottle said the cafe will provide 4000 free meals a week and access to welfare services.

“Many of the people we see are isolated and vulnerable, and often in crisis,” he said at the cafe’s relaunch.

“The cafe shows people that there is a pathway out of homelessness.”

Lord Mayor Sally Capp congratulated Major Nottle and his team for continuing to provide services for a diverse group of people during the pandemic.

“They are the most in need, people who are experiencing homelessness … financial hardship, domestic violence, the many, many reasons that drive people in here to the Salvos,” she said.

New Collingwood president Mark Korda said Magpie Nest has been running for over a decade providing vital support to vulnerable people “who deserve our respect”.

“The cafe provides a safe haven for people doing it tough, a place where people are valued and welcomed,” he said.

A 2019 report by Deakin University found that by improving participants’ quality of life, Magpie Nest had delivered an annual $4 million economic benefit to the community.

During the pandemic takeaway meals have been provided by Coles, SecondBite and Parliament House kitchen.

Coles spokeswoman Sally Fielke said the organisation was proud to support the program.

“It is making a genuine difference to the lives of people who are homeless and in urgent need of support,” she said.