Angus Martin House, a 45 bed Supported Residential Service (SRS) on the Nepean Highway Frankston, is set to offer an important and badly needed housing alternative for local people.
Purchased by Wintringham with funds provided by The Peter and Lyndy White Foundation, Angus Martin House will follow the model of highly regarded services provided by Wintringham to older, financially disadvantaged Victorians.
Bryan Lipmann AM, CEO of Wintringham, says that Angus Martin House will be a great option for people who are older than 50 and experiencing housing stress or homelessness. “As a high quality SRS, residents will be provided with a well-appointed room and en-suite, communal areas and meals. There will be support staff on-site 24 hours a day.
“Our mission is to provide homes and support to older Victorians who are exposed to homelessness. We are grateful to The Peter and Lyndy White Foundation for making it possible to extend our services into Frankston. Peter and Lyndy White are extraordinarily generous people who are making a real difference to the homelessness landscape in Melbourne.”
Paul Edbrooke, MP for Frankston, warmly welcomes a quality Wintringham housing option to Frankston. “In addition to providing homes for local people in need, the Angus Martin House kitchen has been extended with State Government funds so that an emergency meal service can be provided to local people who are homeless or in need. The good people of Wallara, a disability service based in Dandenong, will assist with the preparation and distribution of these meals,” Paul Edbrooke said. “These are powerful service response partnerships being formed between not-for-profit organisations, philanthropists and government, all sharing a determination to redress the scourge of homelessness.”
The SRS has been named after a homeless man, Angus Martin, who was one of Wintringham’s original residents. He was a Second World War veteran, badly injured in Egypt, who finally found a home, where he was honoured and respected, with Wintringham.
The Victorian Minister for Housing, Martin Foley, conducted the opening on 1 February 2017. He applauded the on-going generosity of Peter and Lyndy White and congratulated Wintringham on our persistence and hard work in pursuing our mission. Paul Edbrooke, Member of Parliament for Frankston, was MC for the opening and his enthusiasm for Wintringham and for his local community were manifest.
As is usual for these events, there was a lot of cleaning up to be done beforehand, nerves to be settled then cakes to be enjoyed!
