For First Step, the need to relocate to a new facility comes at a critical time.
Over the last two decades, we have evolved to become a lifeline for thousands of people who live with mental distress, who use alcohol and other drugs and many who have concurrent legal issues.
Victorians, and particularly those with complex, intersecting needs, are massively underserved by the Mental Health sector and the Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) sector; demand for support far outstrips supply. An important part of the answer is collaborative team care, like we do at First Step, where improvements in one area of a person’s life are consolidated by improvements in another. This leads to incremental, whole-of-life improvements.
The lease on our Greeves Street property, where some of our vital services like First Step Legal and ResetLife are located, is ending as the building is being sold as part of a large development project. This means that we would to lose nearly 50% of our office space.
On top of this, the current mental health reform in Victoria is in flux. While there was a strong push to implement changes following the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System, these reforms have stalled, leaving organisations like First Step in a challenging position. We have the expertise, the model, and the commitment to deliver integrated care – but we need the space to do it.
This combination of losing physical space and an uncertain landscape of reform has created a perfect storm. But within this storm, we’ve found an incredible opportunity: a new home at 18 Mitford Street.
By moving, we not only solve our space issues but also set ourselves up for the future, for long-term sustainability, and for increasing the impact and reach of our work.