The Centre

Our inspiration

Our inspiration and namesake was Durban’s archbishop for 45 years. He was known in South Africa and internationally as a courageous proponent of justice and peace, opponent of apartheid and forward thinking churchman. He was also loved for his inner strength, warmth, humility, generosity and spirituality. A shrine for Denis Hurley, at his tomb in the Cathedral in Durban, was inaugurated in March 2017.

Our home, the Denis Hurley Centre (DHC), is a major new landmark building in the middle of possibly the busiest, most vibrant and diverse area of Durban. We are located between the Emmanuel Cathedral, the Grey Street Mosque, and the Victoria Street Market, sharing the space with a multitude of street traders and swarms of taxis.

 

Get involved

Please let us know if you would like to visit, or volunteer or help raise funds to support our work.

And wherever you are, and whatever your religious tradition, we ask for your prayers.

Please note: Our sister organisations the Denis Hurley Peace Institute and the Denis Hurley Library at St Joseph’s Theological Institute can be accessed through their websites. Click here for London based Denis Hurley Association UK.

 

Purpose of the DHC

Operating since January 2015, the Denis Hurley Centre has built on a century-long tradition of using this site for Care, Education and Community.

Care

Care, because we are serving the needs of the poorest people of Durban.

  • We feed over 3,000 meals to homeless people each week, and offer showers and clean clothes.
  • We run a free primary healthcare clinic for homeless people and refugees especially helping those affected by AIDS and TB.
  • We go out to people living on the streets to offer HIV tests and life-saving medicines.
  • In partnership wth Refugee Pastoral Care, we welcome migrants from across Africa helping them sort out their documents and be integrated into the local community.

Community

Community, because we are at the core of a vibrant and diverse group of people who live happily side by side.

For example, we have hosted an Ethiopian wedding, a Muslim bridal shower, meetings by union groups, political parties and football supporters, interfaith talks, lectures in Catholic Social Teaching, film screenings and performance classes, NGO conferences and a forum for drug users and local police to meet and talk.
The Centre is 4 storeys high and hosts a number of other NGOs. It also has a mixture of large, medium and small meeting rooms and offices available for hire.
All of these facilities make sense when reflecting that the Cathedral’s name is “Emmanuel” which means “God is with us”. While closely linked to the Catholic Cathedral Parish, the Centre also works with members of other local communities: the Mosque next door, the traders and shoppers from the Warwick Junction markets, members of other city-centre churches and faith community groups, artists and performers, tourists, locals and refugees.

Education

Education, because the Church in this part of the city has for over 100 years been a beacon of education.

We offer a free computer room and other job skills training; and we house a City Museum exhibition focusing on the life and witness of Archbishop Hurley.

Our award-winning Street Lit project promotes literacy by selling second-hand books at affordable prices thereby enabling homeless people to be economically self-sufficient.

We provide Service Learning opportunities for a wide range of students from local universities in areas as diverse as occupational therapy, music, law, chiropractice, social work, homeopathy and counselling.

We welcome groups from schools and churches who want to get to know the Durban inner-city, visit the mosque and cathedral and understand more about social issues in South Africa.

Refugee Pastoral Care run English and Zulu lessons for refugees and help them to get their children registered in local schools.

Our café on the 1st floor used to be run by deaf young adults being trained in catering and business skills. We are currently looking for new ways of using the café.

Projects

The outreach work of the DHC is currently focused on three areas.
All our services are free:

Nkosinathi Project

  • Serving breakfast and lunch to 250-300 homeless people every Tues, Weds, Thurs, Saturday and Sunday
  • Providing access to showers, ablutions, laundry and clothes
  • Offering counselling, family reunification, and practical advice from a social worker
  • Preparing people for drug rehabilitation programmes
  • Supporting ex-drug users as they return from rehab to life in the city

Usizo Lwethu Clinic

  • Providing primary healthcare for homeless people and refugees

  • Providing primary healthcare on the streets via a mobile clinic

  • Offering testing for HIV and TB and initiating people on life-saving medication

  • Advocating for neglected patients in
    Government facilities

  • Connecting marginalised people with other health services offered by NGOs and universities

Empowerment

  • Helping homeless people secure IDs and other documentation
  • Accessing training and employment
    opportunities where available
  • Enabling people to create a digital identity for accessing services
  • Registering marginalised people as voters and empowering them in the election process
  • Training and deploying homeless men and women as second-hand booksellers

Ethos and Values

The Denis Hurley Centre aims to continue the legacy of the life and work of the late Archbishop Denis Hurley in particular by:

  • being engaged in the modern world and seeking to build God’s Kingdom here on earth and being, in Hurley’s words, a “community serving humanity”.
  • reaching out to the poorest and most marginalised residents of this part of Durban.
  • working equally with South Africans and with refugees and migrants from other parts of the Continent.
  • honouring and co-operating with people of all faith traditions.
  • demonstrating the role of faith-based groups in transforming the city.
  • challenging injustice and being a voice for the voiceless.
  • finding ways to work with universities and other NGO partners.
  • working with Government institutions and corporates while also being willing to challenge them.

We hope that all who use the Centre will respect our vision and ethos.

In particular we expect our employees, volunteers and centre users to demonstrate the following values in their interaction with each other, with partner organisations and with visitors:
  • Equal respect for all regardless of nationality, race, religion, gender, disability, sexual orientation or any other respect in which a person might feel marginalised
  • An especial concern to reach out and help those who might otherwise feel unwelcome or excluded.
  • An active desire to work with people from different communities, racial, religious and national, and to model a way of working that brings people together.
  • A professional approach to all that we do demonstrating that the poor deserve quality service no less than the wealthy.
  • A collaborative approach to working with the others working at the Denis Hurley Centre (directly employed, outsourced and volunteers) and with the staff and volunteers at the Cathedral.
  • Respect for the confidentiality and sensitivity of situations and individuals.
  • A desire to challenge injustice, unfairness and corruption.
  • The highest standards of propriety with regard to the treatment of funds and assets and transparency in reporting and accountability.
  • A commitment to going the extra mile and, where possible, to work beyond the terms of his/her role even if that means an element of personal sacrifice.

Booking rooms at the DHC

Different parts of the Denis Hurley Centre are available for hire, principally:

  • The Gandhi-Luthuli Peace Hall
    A large airy double volume hall which can accommodate up to 320 people (cinema style), 170 people (banquet style) and can also be fitted out for conferences and weddings*
  • The Napier Halls
    One large hall (capacity of up to 300 people) that can also be subdivided into 3 medium-size rooms (holding 140 or 100 or 60)*
  • Board Room
    (up to 12 people)
  • Café and Kitchen
    (up to 12 people for training)
  • Computer Room
    (up to 8 people)*
  • Multi-faith prayer room
    Capacity for up to 40 people

Advantages of hiring rooms at the Denis Hurley Centre:

  • Sense of being part of an innovative community centre
  • Exceptionally good access to public transport (bus, local train, taxi)
  • Easy access to the motorway (2 mins from the end of the N3)
  • Secure paid-for parking in Cathedral grounds and below the Victoria Street market opposite
  • Highly visible city-centre location
  • Light, airy and modern building
  • Air-conditioning available in the halls marked *
  • Hire fee that includes use of chairs, tables, PA equipment
  • Moderately priced added options for WiFi access, catering and other equipment
  • On-site caretaker ensures excellent service even in evenings and at weekends

Bookings

Bookings can be made by contacting Leanne Banks via Whatsapp (+27 84 408 2736) or email leanne@denishurleycentre.org.

Once we have discussed your requirements, checked availability and agreed a price, a 50% deposit is required to confirm your booking. The balance (plus a security against damages) must be paid 5 days before the event.

Monies must be paid directly into the Denis Hurley Centre account and the EFT confirmation e-mailed to admin@denishurleycentre.org.
The account details are:
Denis Hurley Centre Trust
First National Bank
Account Number: 62204261002
Branch code: 221426 (Durban Main branch)

Prayer in honour of Archbishop Hurley

Loving Father,
We thank you for the life, vocation and ministry of your servant Denis Hurley, our Bishop, Brother and Friend in Christ.

We pray that his work for justice and peace;
his loving care for the poor and marginalised;
and his vision for a reformed and renewed Church,
may continue to inspire us with increased vigour.
Grant that the gift of the Spirit may enable us to act in harmony
to establish your kingdom in our lives, our work and our world
as we strive to follow Denis Hurley’s motto:
“Where the Spirit is, there is freedom!”
Listen kindly to the intercession of your servant Denis on our behalf,
and grant us the favour of his patronage in your kingdom.
We pray that in Christ your Son, all may be sanctified, all may be one.
Amen.