30 YEARS OF MiLife-Victoria

1992

MiLife-Victoria started its life on 28 January 1992 as Frankston Community Access Program supporting 14 students from Frankston Special Development School.

Within six months of starting the Frankston Community Access Program, it became incorporated and renamed Peninsula Access Support and Training (PAST) and moved to rented premises in Mt Eliza.

1993 1994

The program operated in Roy Court, Mt Eliza with four support staff, one bus driver and one part-time finance person.

18 months after moving to Mt Eliza the Futures for Young Adults (FFYA) program was introduced and changed the face of the organisation providing an opportunity for growth.

Funding of $250,000 from Health and Community Services was secured to purchase the Langwarrin property. The Langwarrin Centre was officially opened in 1995 and the group moved into its new premises in September.

A successful Overnight Stays program was introduced at the new Langwarrin site.

Introduction of the Futures for Young Adults program and Carers Package funded by DHS assisted the growth of the client base.

PAST started running a number of educational courses from within various Community Centres in the Southern Metropolitan Region and participated in pre-vocational training programs in Pakenham.

The numbers of clients grew rapidly from 14 to 35 and as a result staff numbers and transport offerings increased.

PAST became registered with ACFE and began running Adult Education courses for people with disability.

PAST grew to 49 clients, and as a result opened a new service in Mornington.

The financial system was computerised to keep up with business growth.

Recreation camps were run in Echuca, Mansfield, Warrnambool and Lorne, while the overnight stay program remained popular.

Funding applications for an administration building, toilet block and car parking at Langwarrin were approved. A further application was submitted for an Annex at Cranbourne and the purchase of a 22-seater bus.

ACFE funding increased to provide more courses.

Individual Program Plan was introduced to ascertain client goals and provide opportunities to meet their goals.

The Cranbourne Annex opened in 2000 with 20 clients across both buildings.

Funding for Langwarrin was approved and plans commenced to build a purpose-built facility on the site.

This year saw the completion of the organisations’ first report for the Disability Services Self-Assessment.

A building permit for Langwarrin was approved and plans were underway for the new building at Langwarrin. The original building was transformed into an administration building with a reception area created downstairs.

A consultant was employed to lead the team to develop a Business Plan.

PAST received $500,000 in oneoff funding which went towards a new vehicle and the new building at Langwarrin.

On 22 January 2002 PAST celebrated its 10th birthday.

The Hastings property was purchased and staff and clients moved in once the renovations were completed in March.

The Langwarrin redevelopment began in January and was completed by July. The Mornington site was closed.

On November 15th the official opening of Langwarrin was held and celebrations were had with Mayor of Frankston, Cathy Wilson, officially opening the building.

This was a year of consolidation with policies and processes reviewed. There was a change to the staff structure, and the implementation of a program resource package to support staff to deliver programs. The organisation introduced portfolios for board members along with a review of the constitution.

Funding was received to run respite holidays. Holiday houses in Rye and Rosebud were used as a base.

PAST was successful in its application for respite funding which provided clients with six weekends away.

The organisation extended its support base to include people with neurological disorders, specifically people with Motor Neuron Disease (MND).

Clients were involved in a Club Wild workshop to produce a music DVD called ‘Dream of the Century’ which was shown at many events including the State launch of ‘Metro Access.’

The first ‘Peninsula Access 2005’ calendar was developed and distributed to 1500 people.

By 2006 PAST was supporting over 100 people, the organisation had nine vehicles, properties at Langwarrin, Hastings, Frankston and Cranbourne as well as rented offices in Cranbourne and Frankston.

Alliances were formed with the Frankston Business Chamber and WomenConnect Frankston which created networking opportunities and a chance to grow the brand locally.

PAST was recognised and won the ‘Service Business –Not for Profit’ section at the Frankston and Mornington Peninsula Business Awards.

The organisation worked with Frankston City Council on the design of an accessible public toilet to be located within Frankston’s Central Business District. During this time, it also developed its third ‘Peninsula Access’ calendar.

The property in Lyall Street, Cranbourne was purchased replacing the Codrington Street property. Funding was gained to run further respite holidays.

Activities continued to run over seven days in the week with people given the option to participate in group activities or individual support on weekends.

2008 saw a move away from the ‘block funding’ model for disability providers, and a move to individualised funding attributed to clients. As a result, the organisation received a 26% increase to respite funding and was able to provide 30 holidays a year, an increase of seven from the previous year.

Keys Street Accessible Toilet opened in Frankston in September 2008, the first of its kind for Frankston and Australia.

Modifications were made to the Lyall Street property and clients successfully transitioned to the new building.

In 2009 the Global Financial Crisis impacted many organisations, in addition, the State Government budget didn’t adequately provide enough resources for the disability sector.

PAST joined NDS Victoria ‘Fair Go For All’ campaign. The purpose of the campaign was to position disability as a vital community issue for government and secure support from parliamentarians and other community members for people with disability.

This year saw conversations starting about the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) which aimed to replace Australia’s crisis-driven welfare-based approach to disability services, providing funding for essential care, support, therapy, aids, equipment, home modifications and access to the community, education and training.

In 2011 PAST achieved its Quality Framework for Disability Services Certification.

The delivery of the Strategic Plan for 2008-2011 was completed and work began on developing a new Strategic Plan for the next 3-5 years.

Culburra House in Frankston was purchased and fitted out to be used by the organisation and rented out to others for respite holidays.

PAST continued to build support and lobby the government for the introduction of a National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), which in August of 2011, was approved for development by State and Territory Leaders, the Prime Minister and the Council of the Australian Governments (COAG).

The ‘Who’s Life is it Anyway’ DVD was developed featuring one of PAST’s clients who was able to tell her story about her experiences.

A production called ‘’A Show?!’’ was performed by PAST Clients. The production was funded by the Mornington Peninsula Shire Council Community Grants program and was in partnership with the Pelican Theatre Company.

PAST purchased Suite 1 in the Frankston Business Centre to house Head Office which was previously spread across two rented suites within the Centre.

In 2012 PAST celebrated its 20th anniversary. Much of the year was spent preparing for the development of the next Strategic Plan for 2012-2015.

The NDIS Bill was passed through parliament on 21 March 2013 and the NDIS was launched on 1 July 2013 with individuals looking forward to a lifetime of support under the scheme.

The organisation rebranded from PAST to MiLife-Victoria, aligning the organisation with its vision, mission and values. Preparations began for the introduction of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) set for 2016-2019.

Work continued to be done in order to prepare the organisation for the introduction of the NDIS. This included investing in technology systems to track outcomes against client’s individual goals and budgets.

The NDIS started to roll out in Victoria, with the southern metropolitan region set to completely transition into the scheme in 2018.

In preparation, MiLife-Victoria officially became a registered NDIS provider.

MiLife-Victoria staff started working with clients, families and others to prepare for the NDIS roll out in 2018.

At the end of July 2017, MiLife-Victoria’s first four clients transitioned to the NDIS.

The organisation began operating within both an NDIS environment and the DHHS environment as it continued to transition all clients to the NDIS.

MiLife-Victoria clients had fully transitioned to the NDIS by July 2019, making MiLife-Victoria the first block-funded organisation in the area to become 100% transitioned to the scheme.

Head Office was moved to Hastings in June 2019, and the Frankston office became a learning centre. Hastings clients were transferred to Culburra House in Frankston.

COVID-19 hit Australia’s shores in January and with it came one of the most challenging years in the history of MiLife-Victoria.

MiLife-Victoria adapted to delivering services differently, with online programs becoming a hit with clients who were able to access them.

Culburra House in Frankston was sold.

Programs of Support was introduced in November/December which saw a complete change to the timetable and offerings.

In November, MiLife-Victoria purchased Designs for Hair, a hairdressing salon in Seaford. Around the same time it was asked to manage Coffee Potts Café on behalf of Langwarrin Community Aged Care.

In May 2021, Terri Carrol retired as CEO of MiLifeVictoria after 29 years and Amanda Youngs was appointed as the CEO.

2021 was the first year of providing group-based programs under a new NDIS funding model called ‘Programs of Support’ which was a big change for both staff and clients.

Online programs continued as only those who were most vulnerable were able to attend onsite programs.

MiLife-Victoria celebrates its 30th birthday.

The global pandemic has continued to create challenges in the delivery of service offerings.

Under its new leadership a new Organisational Design was developed. In addition, a Strategic Plan has been developed with a new direction for the organisation. The plan will be implemented over the coming years and will see MiLife-Victoria into the future.