Message
from the
Chair and
Manager
Since its humble beginnings in 1968 when
it was named the Frankston Citizens Advice
Bureau (CAB), Community Support Frankston
(CSF) is proud to be celebrating 50 years in our
community and was one of the first community
services to be established in Frankston.
CSF was the second CAB in Victoria and the first
to commence distributing Emergency Relief (ER)
assistance and to publish a book advocating
a progressive hand-up and empowerment
approach to ER.
The decision to expand CSF’s volunteer services
from community information and advocacy
to include material aid didn’t come without
criticism at the time. However CSF - as it’s always
been - was responsive to changing community
needs and provided sector-wide leadership that
helped pave the way for a more progressive CAB
service model.
While CSF’s service has grown, our principles
have remained the same. 50 years on, our core
services include the intake and assessment of
people experiencing financial disadvantage, basic
budgeting, community information, advocacy,
referrals, follow-up, supportive listening and
personal support to individuals and families.
“Community Support
Frankston, inspired by
nearly half a century of
volunteer community
workers, seeks the common
good through the fair and
equitable treatment of
our community’s most
vulnerable members. We
believe in providing services
that are impartial and
supportive of all diversity
and the right to a fair share
of Frankston’s resources for
all people.”
4
It takes a community
Our volunteers give their time to help create a
Frankston where everyone has access to the
resources, services and opportunities that will
enable them to maintain a standard of living
equal to that enjoyed by the majority. While
we know this isn’t always possible, these ideals
helped to inspire CSF’s 114 volunteers to dedicate
a combined 15,762 hours to CSF services this
financial year.
CSF is more than just a place where people
can come and access essential material aid
(such as food, vouchers, assistance with bills,
housing costs and essential medicines), CSF is an
essential resource for local information, support
and advocacy for people in Frankston who have
nowhere else to turn for help.
As brilliant as our volunteer community workers
are, CSF is not a specialist service, but has
continued to co-locate and partner with other
services that assist in providing our clients
with a more holistic service wrap around. Co-
location of the Bolton Clarke Homeless Persons’
Program nurse is one such partnership, which
also coordinates monthly optometry and mental
health legal services at CSF.