History
Since its inception 155 years ago, Melbourne Citymission has experienced extraordinary change; from strong evangelical roots and saving the ‘lost' and the ‘perishing', to a contemporary community services organisation recognised for its leadership, diversity, innovation and inclusive approach.
Melbourne Citymission’s founders
Melbourne Citymission’s founders, Dr John Singleton and Hester Hornbrook, were leaders who combined vision with a practical appreciation of the needs of their age.
1854
In 1854, Victoria was in the grip of gold fever. Many men abandoned wives and families to pursue dreams of fame and fortune on Ballarat's goldfields.
The turn of the century
By the turn of the century, the Mission’s work had broadened to include charitable or welfare work and the administration of residential institutions responding to the immediate needs of those in poverty or distress.
The 1950s
From the 1950s the Mission’s approach changed to a focus on the structural and policy issues of social problems, with responses developed within a professional social welfare context.
The 1990s
In the 1990s, Melbourne Citymission made a strategic decision to develop responses to youth homelessness. Services developed include three crisis accommodation services:
- ‘Stopover’, an emergency accommodation, housing and support program for young people set up in 1989
- Young Women’s Crisis Service, which includes an outreach service set up in 2005 and a refuge to open in July 2007
- Western Region Accommodation Program, an emergency accommodation, housing and support program for young people set up in 1994.
The 2000s
At or around the time of the new millennium, the Board of Melbourne Cityimission recognised that the need for research and evidence based practice to enable the organsition to advocate for structural and systemic change in social and public policy and to realise the vision of a fair and just society of all. This heralded the formation of the Melbourne Citymission research and social policy unit.
2004 marked Melbourne Citymission’s 150th Birthday. It also heralded a milestone in cross sectorial partnerships. Melbourne Citymission had long been an advocate of the notion that tackling disadvantage in the community could not be done individually, it had to be done as a community.
At this time Melbourne Citymission, with the support of philanthropy and the State Government, established the Agora Think Tank, a coming together of leaders from Not for Profit, Business and Government sectors to work in partnership to find new and different ways to address disadvantage.
Today
Today Melbourne Citymission has an enormous depth and breadth of programs across the state of Victoria. It runs:
- 6 statewide programs
- social enterprises
- crisis accommodation services
- a foyer youth program
- a nursing home and hostel
- independent living units for the elderly
- a childcare centre
- residential services for people living with a disability
- palliative care services
- is working with the Hume, Wyndham, Maribyrnong, Darebin, Whittlesea and Melbourne communities on local initiatives.
Melbourne Citymission’s history tells a story of an organisation constantly changing in response to the needs of the community. It tells a story of an organisation constantly innovating and adapting in response to the demand for new ways to tackle complex social issues. This has seen Melbourne Citymission evolve traditional service delivery models into more contemporary models guided by values and principles embedded by the organsation’s founders.
Melbourne Citymission
For 155 years, Melbourne Citymission has worked with disadvantaged people across Melbourne and Victoria. Every week we help thousands of people build a clear pathway out of disadvantage, economic exclusion and social isolation.
Our services support:
- people to find a pathway out of homelessness
- disabled people to get the resources and support they need to live the life they want
- people to break the cycle of poverty and abuse
- people to find jobs, or enter into education and training.
