CaSPA Care

Claremont Home in Albert Road, South Melbourne, was established in 1956, with the property purchased largely by donations from local people and the South Melbourne Community Chest. They wanted to ensure that the elderly needing care could spend their later years in familiar surroundings and/or close to family – an objective that is as important now, as it was then.

The first residents lived in the Claremont mansion and over the years, further buildings were added, bringing numbers to 56 beds.

South Port Community Residential Home, on the edge of Gasworks Park in Richardson Street, Albert Park, was established in 1981 by the three Councils that made up the City of Port Phillip – South Melbourne, Port Melbourne and St Kilda. South Melbourne Council provided the land for a peppercorn rental. All three Councils made financial contributions.

The local community ran a huge fundraising effort – possibly the biggest in the history of the area! The Councils, the Churches, the schools, local businesses, service and sporting clubs all worked together to raise the million dollars needed – a BIG target for those days.

South Port has always taken only residents with high support needs; the only community-based facility in the municipality to do so.

Claremont and South Port are both deeply rooted in the community, not-for-profit organisations and managed by volunteer boards who have done a sterling job.

As both are relatively small, stand-alone facilities, it had become increasingly difficult to maintain viability and to provide standards of accommodation that are now expected. There was little or no scope for either Claremont or South Port to redevelop and expand to meet increasing care needs on their own sites.

Developments over the last two years

In 2010, following negotiations with the Catholic Church, the Victorian State Government announced that it would make the rear of the St Vincent’s Boys’ Home available for aged care at a discounted rent in recognition of the lack of suitably large and affordable sites in inner Melbourne.

Following extensive discussion between the respective Boards, agreement was reached to apply for the land and, if successful, to merge Claremont and South Port as soon as possible and redevelop there all our current 116 beds plus the 30 that had been provisionally granted to South Port.

The new entity formed a legal partnership and was registered as a company named Claremont and South Port Aged Care Ltd (CaSPA Care) in 2010.

That year, CaSPA Care lodged an application with the Victorian Health Department for the Land Bank site on land bounded by Napier, Church and Raglan Streets.

The bid was successful after lengthy negotiations interrupted by a State Election, and CaSPA Care signed a lease over the land with the Victorian Department of Health

We immediately appointed a new CEO – Stephanie Clark – and merging the operations is now well underway.

The Board, initially made up of three committee of management members of each of Claremont and South Port, was expanded to nine early in 2012 with three new local and very skilled, independent directors.

History and the hard work of many have provided us with a solid base to meet the challenges of aged care in the future. The Board, CEO and all the team look forward to these challenges.