Homeless charity Elishacare needs vacant MFB building to expand

A MAROONDAH charity, Elishacare, needs the help of the MFB to secure a long-term home and help more struggling, homeless people with addictions rebuild their lives

Cr Tony Dib with Elishacare’s Barry Ryder and Geoff Marsh and program supporters.

A MAROONDAH charity needs the help of the MFB so it can help more struggling, homeless people with addictions rebuild their lives.

Elishacare, based at the old Croydon fire station, provides accommodation, food and gardening and car-detailing work in a drug-and-alcohol-free environment.

The charity’s properties on Croydon Rd and Kalinda Rd are constantly full and up to 10 people stay between them at a time.

But an unoccupied building, which is owned by Metropolitan Fire Brigade, next to the old fire station is seen as an opportunity for the charity to bring more people in off the streets.

Elishacare founder Geoff Marsh said the building could house up to eight more people.

He said it would also allow Elishacare to expand and plan for its long-term future.

“Elishacare have found a model that is working successfully and we are now getting some incredible results, and the benefit to the community is massive,” Mr Marsh said.

“We want to save every person we possibly can, and we need space to do that.

“Unless we can provide beds for people now, we can’t keep taking them in.”

Both buildings at the Croydon Rd site are earmarked for future sale. Emergency Services Minister James Merlino intervened late last year to prevent an early sale of the properties.

Maroondah councillor and Elishacare volunteer Tony Dib said the charity’s program was “one of the best in the state for rehabilitating people who are alcoholic or drug addicts”.
“They get them off this streets, get them a place to live and give them a job so they can feel good about themselves,” he said.

Croydon state Liberal MP David Hodgett advocated for Elishacare in State Parliament last month and called on the government to secure a long-term home for the charity.

Mr Merlino’s spokeswoman Stephanie Jones said the Metropolitan Fire Brigade had delayed the sale of the properties until next year and the Government would continue to assist Elishacare “in finding a suitable long term accommodation solution.”
An MFB spokeswoman, who declined to be named, confirmed the organisation planned to sell both properties.

She said the MFB had delayed the sale of the properties until early 2019 to give Elishacare “additional time to find an alternative location”.