Prahran Mission

We believe that everyone has the right to a decent life. Established in 1946 Prahran Mission, an agency of the Uniting Church in Australia, provides emergency relief services to those experiencing poverty, homelessness and economic disadvantage, as well as rehabilitation services to those experiencing mental illness and psychiatric disability. In 1... 946, the Prahran Methodist Mission and Christian Community Centre was established in a new era of social enlightenment due to the visionary leaders of the Methodist Conference of Victoria and Tasmania, who had new and progressive ideas about social welfare. They recognised that people needed to be helped to stand on their own two feet, and they should give without damaging the self-respect, self-esteem or self-confidence of the recipient. Since then, Prahran Mission has a history of providing innovative services to the community, focussing on the people most in need. Services such as: The Wobbly Club, which supported recovering alcoholics by using art and craft therapy, the legacy of which has been used in our various art therapies Rev Hartleys most well known community venture Meals on Wheels a service which is now operated by most councils around Australia! In 1989 the Prahran Parish Council appointed the Missions first female, lay executive Dr Joan Clarke. She pioneered the Missions work in psycho-social rehabilitation for people with psychiatric disabilities. During her tenure the Mission was awarded a Silver Australia and New Zealand Mental Health Achievement Award for its services to people with a disability. Retiring in 2005, Dr Clarke was the Missions second longest serving director. Our next Chief Executive Mr Quinn Pawson led the Mission through a major transformation in 2010, redeveloping the Chapel Street building, turning it into a user friendly, modern, multi-purpose community space. He also spearheaded innovative programs such as Voices Vic, and evolved our Op Shop and Café programs into Social Firms which provide training and employment opportunities ...Read More