Local support for vulnerable residents

Homelessness support

Council is aware that there are people in our City who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness. Council is proactively working with other councils, agencies and the Victorian Government to provide a coordinated approach to preventing and responding to homelessness.

To find out more about homelessness in Frankston City and what Council is doing, please visit: Homelessness  

There are a number of support services available for people who are experiencing homelessness and sleeping rough. If you are sleeping rough, experiencing homelessness or at risk of becoming homelessness you can contact The Salvation Army – Homelessness Services on:

Ph. (03) 9784 5050

Hours of operation: Monday to Friday, 9.30am to 4pm

Location: 37 Ross Smith Avenue, Frankston, 3199

If outside business hours, including weekends and public holidays, please call the Statewide Homelessness Helpline on ph. 1800 825 955.

If you are escaping family violence, please call Safe Steps Family Violence Response on ph. 1800 015 188, 24 hours 7 days per week. 

Community Support Frankston (CSF) is a not-for-profit charitable organisation providing emergency relief and essential supports for residents in Frankston City experiencing hardship. Assistance is provided with food and essential items, medications, clothing, education, housing and much more.

Council provides support to CSF via the provision of two permanent Council employed staff at a cost of $250,000 per annum. In-kind support includes the ongoing exclusive use of a Council owned building, repairs and capital improvements, Council staff support and employee assistance available to volunteers.

For further information on Community Support Frankston and its services and programs please visit www.frankston.net, or contact CSF at (03) 9783 7284 for email csf@frankston.net.  

CSF phone line operating hours are Mon, Tues, Wed and Fri from 9.30am to 3.30pm, and Thurs 12pm to 3.30pm.

Frankston City Council offers a range of grants to support both individuals and not-for-profit organisations.

In 2024-25, Council provided significant financial assistance through the Community Grants Program to support emergency relief services and help vulnerable community members.

A total of $200,000 was allocated through the one-off Emergency Relief Fund, enabling 12 vital organisations to increase their capacity and provide essential support to over 43,000 individuals across Frankston City. Council funding was provided to:

• Frankston Brekky Club
• Mums Supporting Families in Need Inc
• Project Fresh Start Inc
• Local 2 Community
• Peninsula Christian Care
• Theodora House
• Bolton Clarke
• Sikh Volunteers Australia
• Operation Larder
• St. Vincent de Paul
• Salvation Army Carrum Downs
• LifeGate

Further financial assistance was provided through the Annual Community Grants to Seaford Christmas Hampers who received $5,000 and $7,500 for Blessing Bags Melbourne, which provided hygiene packs to those in need. Additionally, Council awarded an Urgent Grant of $5,000 to Mums Supporting Families in Need to assist with recovery after warehouse flooding, allowing them to continue their critical work.

For more information on community grants and to get the latest updates, please visit:

Community Grants

Frankston City Council is committed to advocating to the Australian Government for secure and long-term funding to support vulnerable community members. Current emergency relief and community support services in Frankston City are experiencing high and increasing demand from our most disadvantaged community members. This requires increased annual funding to meet needs, indexed each year with CPI.

At its Council Meeting on 20 January 2025, Council resolved to advocate to the Australian Government to secure ongoing funding of an additional $500,000 per annum for emergency relief providers like Community Support Frankston to address the needs of vulnerable residents. A further $350,000 pre annum over three years (2026-28) is being sought to extend the Community Connectors pilot project at Frankston Station to provide two mental health and social support practitioners to deliver support services to community members and improve public safety. 

Frankston City Council has partnered with Metro Trains Melbourne and South East Community Links (SECL) on a new community outreach initiative identified in the Young Street Action Plan aimed at assisting community members who visit Frankston Station and face complex challenges. The new Community Connectors Pilot Program will support the local community while keeping train services on track at Frankston Station.

Two SECL community practitioners with social work, mental health, and nursing qualifications are present at Frankston Station from 1.00 pm to 5.00 pm on weekdays. They provide direct support for emergency relief, youth housing and empowerment programs, settlement services, and financial counselling. In addition, they coordinate referrals to local services for drug and alcohol, mental health, homelessness, and family violence support.  

The program follows a successful pilot at Dandenong Station and is aimed at assisting community members and passengers who frequent the station precinct and face complex challenges, including mental health issues, substance abuse, poverty, family violence, and housing insecurity. Key benefits of the program are:

• Rapid and effective responses to people experiencing mental health issues or participating in anti-social behaviours
• Ensuring passengers feel safe at Frankston Station and on public transport
• De-escalation of situations before they become major incidents
• Building positive rapport with individuals requiring support and establishing referral pathways
• Increased safety for all users in the Young Street precinct

Frankston City Council has partnered with Monash University to deliver the Social Work Clinic at Frankston Library.

The Monash University Social Work Clinic offers free services from the Frankston Library on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9.30 am to 3.30 pm. 

The Clinic is staffed by postgraduate social work students enrolled in the Master of Social Work degree at Monash University.  All students are supervised by qualified, experienced social work practitioners.

The students can assist with the following, but not limited to:

• Advocating for yourself
• Filling out support Letters such as immigration, housing, and Centrelink 
• Concerns about your safety
• A referral pathway to other specialist services
• Applications or referrals to Housing Victoria
• Adjusting to life-changing events
• Counselling or emotional support
• Parenting becoming too much
• Struggling with social Isolation
• Relationship issues
• Financial issues (cannot provide financial aid)
• Carer issues and responsibilities
• Skill development
• Practical support

Please visit Frankston Library and speak to a librarian to be referred.

Becoming a member of Frankston City Libraries is free. Your membership offers free access to books, computers, wi-fi, Just of the Peace Services and one-on-one tech help. For further information about our Library services and current information about what’s on, please visit Frankston Library

The Frankston Winter Shelter is a local initiative of the Frankston churches coming together to support the vulnerable in our community by providing a bed, a warm meal and a safe place for the night across five nights per week through the winter months.

Frankston City Council has provided support to the Frankston Winter Shelter since it was established in 2022 and continues this support today.

Council’s support includes a dedicated Council Concierge for the Frankston Winter Shelter to create positive connections with the churches and assists with:

• Navigation of the planning permit processes and relationships with Council officers.
• Funding to assist with the financial costs incurred by the participating churches from the required permits and reports.
• Minor capital works grants, which is contributing towards the installation of accessible bathroom facilities and cooking facilities for food preparation.
• Free training for volunteers.

For further information about the Frankston Winter Shelter, please visit:

Winter Shelter

Frankston City Council is providing free training for volunteers engaging with people experiencing or at risk of homelessness and in need of emergency relief. This training is being provided in response to identified unmet training needs of these volunteers, building their skills and capacity to engage with community members who often have multiple and complex challenges, including trauma, poor mental wellbeing and alcohol dependence.

The training has been developed in consultation with volunteers and commenced in 2024. Training delivered includes:

• Five Conflict Resolution Workshops delivered to 73 volunteers from 14 local charities and not-for-profit organisations.
• Five Mental Health and Wellbeing Workshops delivered to 65 volunteers representing 12 local charities and not-for-profit organisations.

Further training opportunities are currently being planned for 2025.

Frankston City Council is preventing family violence through actions in our Family Violence Action Plan. As the form of government closest to community, Council is well positioned to lead prevention in four unique ways – as a leader, as a workplace, as a service provider and as a connector.

Some of Council’s initiatives include:

• Formalised commitment to prevention and gender equality work with dedicated plans; 2021-2025 Gender Equality Action Plan and the 2024-2028 Family Violence Action Plan.
• Support for community to lead or participate in gender equality initiatives such as International Women’s Day, IDAHOBIT, Men’s Health Week and 16 Days of Activism.
• Education and training for workforce and community in addressing the drivers of violence as well as understanding coercive control, responding to disclosures, promoting gender-inclusive practice as well as workshops on active bystanders, healthier masculinities, respectful relationships, financial independence etc.
• Working in partnership with specialist agencies, groups and networks to prevent violence and promote gender equality such as the Frankston City & Mornington Peninsula Family Violence Prevention Collaborative as well as the ‘Promoting Respect and Equity Together’ network by Women’s Health In the South East.

If you or someone you know is experiencing violence, help is always available – please contact Safe Steps on 1800 015 188 (available 24 hours seven days per week).

For further information on family violence and what Council is doing, please visit:

Preventing Family and Gender based violence