However, a volunteer-run organisation and an award-winning documentary are helping them feel seen.
Mornington Community Support Centre quietly operates as a lifeline for homeless and disadvantaged people overwhelmed by the cost of living – an increasingly familiar challenge in our community. Its Main Street venue is a hub of activity, a meeting point for those seeking warmth and connection.
From a pool of 250 volunteers, there’s always a friendly team of cafe staff and trained counsellors on site, and attendance has tripled over the past three years. The organisation provides clothing, toiletries, financial assistance and counselling for mental health, but CEO Ben Smith said: “The centre’s priority is shelter and food, without judgement, for those in need.”
With no government funding, MCSC has operated limited emergency relief accommodation at The Ranch in Mornington since 2021, together with Southern Peninsula Community Support. During this period, the former motel’s 12 units have been a refuge for nearly 220 homeless people. Identified as high-priority candidates for the in-demand temporary housing, families and singles of all ages have appreciated the use of The Ranch, the average stay being four months. Sixty per cent of those staying at The Ranch have been helped into permanent accommodation.
In 2022, Peninsula Films director, writer and producer Damian McLindon was driving home from a weekend trip to Sorrento when his son remarked on the number of campers along the foreshore. Being outside the holiday season, Damian’s thoughts returned to an Age article he’d seen about the Peninsula’s homeless crisis, where hundreds of people were reported living in tents and cars. He resolved to bring their plight to the attention of the wider public, contacting Ben to make plans for a short documentary.
Recognising the need for those experiencing homelessness and hardship to be heard, Peninsula Films partnered with MCSC to piece some of their stories together. The result is a 35-minute documentary called The Ranch, a film they hope will “help inform conversations locally, and provide a sense of urgency to policy-makers to create change”.
It premiered in August 2024 at Peninsula Cinema Rosebud to a sellout crowd and continues to captivate audiences on the festival circuit, with official selections in the Perth International Film Festival, Darwin International Film Festival, Melbourne Documentary Festival, Bass Coast Shorts, International NGO Film Festival, and our own Peninsula Film Festival.
Now MCSC has embarked on a project at the heart of the documentary: a second crisis accommodation property in Mornington for people experiencing homelessness, with seven units furnished and fitted thanks to the generosity of philanthropists and volunteers. While the ongoing threat of closure looms over The Ranch, this new property represents MCSC’s commitment to advancing support for our region’s homeless. It’s a small step towards alleviating the issue, but every step – and every person – counts.
To watch a preview of The Ranch or to learn more about MCSC, including opportunities to donate or volunteer, visit www.mcsc.au
