Born in Hobart, the daughter of two doctors, Lucy Hohnen spent only the first few weeks of her life in Australia before her parents set off to work in developing countries including Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.
"My parents worked for NGOs and international governments, so we moved around a lot," she said.
"And they took their kids with them, which was an absolute privilege to grow up like that."
Ms Hohnen later boarded at Canberra Girls Grammar School, went to university in Sydney and Brisbane and lived in Alice Springs for a decade where she and her husband, who works in economic development, had their four children.
She and the family then lived in Norfolk in the east of England for a decade where she worked for local government in social services.
The family returned to Australia last year, choosing to settle in Canberra.
"We came back in three batches, actually, because of COVID when it was all kind of horrendous. It took us six attempts to get home," she said.
"Canberra seemed a good place to come because it's close to family, we know this part of the world. There are good jobs and education so we thought we'd land here."
In July she was appointed the new CEO for the St Vincent de Paul Society Canberra/Goulburn following a national recruitment campaign, replacing retiring boss Barnie van Wyk.
"I'm very drawn to the community sector," she said.
"And I like the mission, which is to serve the poor. It's very straight-forward and very clear and we do that by giving a hand up to those who need it.
"And we provide that help without judgement. There's no criteria, there's no hoops, there's no boxes to tick. If you need help, this organisation will provide it."
St Vincent de Paul has its roots in the Catholic faith. Ms Hohnen is not Catholic but says the Vinnies values including compassion, empathy and respect "absolutely" align with her own.
"Yes, we are a lay Catholic organisation, we're not a secular organisation, but we are bigger than people appreciate. We welcome people from diverse backgrounds and that's what makes us so great," she said.
Vinnies is about good works in action and Ms Hohnen will be focused on tackling homelessness in Canberra and the region, expanding its fleet of the Night Patrol, for a start.
"We run right down to Eden on the south coast and out west to Lake Cargelligo. There's a lot of need in those areas as well and we're looking to ramp up those services," she said.
Ms Hohnen said she was all about collaboration and working with other agencies.
"So we provide a wrap-around service to the people who need it," she said.
And in seemingly affluent Canberra, Vinnies was seeing more of the working poor in need.
"We know people are couch surfing and in tents and in cars and, really, in all sorts of vulnerable scenarios because they can't afford a home," she said.
"We know it's growing. The type of person who is living with homelessness is changing. People who have jobs but don't have a home; who can't make ends meet because the cost of living is so high.
"Life is really complex and I think there's a lot of day-to-day pressures on people, so if your mental health is not robust, if you don't have a strong support system around you, it doesn't take much to tip you into that vulnerable position."
Ms Hohnen said she also wanted to emphasise Vinnies' role in advocating for causes such as refugees and Indigenous justice.
"People have an amazing dedication to Vinnies and it's wonderful to be a part of that," she said.
We've made it a whole lot easier for you to have your say. Our new comment platform requires only one log-in to access articles and to join the discussion on The Canberra Times website. Find out how to register so you can enjoy civil, friendly and engaging discussions. See our moderation policy here.
