By Luke Voogt
A proposal to house mentally ill people in a residential Thomson street has outraged parents.
Haven Foundation’s proposal for 46 Lomond Terrace has received 42 objections.
The 16-bed facility is near St Margaret’s and Tate Street primary schools, a child care centre and a liquor store.
“It’s simply in the wrong location,” said Anna Craig, who lives on Lomond Terrace with her husband and 11-month-old daughter.
“I want to feel comfortable that my kids will be safe walking up the road to the shops.”
Ms Craig said she was “completely supportive of providing facilities to the mentally ill”.
“I think it’s fantastic. It just shouldn’t be in a family area.”
Lomond Terrace resident Max Ryan thought residents had defeated the proposal when 50 people attended a meeting with the foundation’s chief and Geelong priest Father Kevin Dillon in 2014.
“The residents weren’t copping it,” he said.
“It was just a shemozzle, really, and I thought that would be the last of it. Everyone said go and build it in your own street.”
Haven Foundation chairman Allan Fels said he would happily welcome similar accommodation in his own street.
The former chairman of Australia Competition and Consumer Commission said he had a daughter in the foundation’s South Yarra facility.
“I wouldn’t dream of putting my daughter somewhere unsafe.”
Mr Fels said he often visited the South Yarra facility, which was also near a bottleshop.
“In five years I’ve never seen anyone drunk there.
“The haven in South Yarra is near a lot of community facilities and there have never been any problems.”
Mr Fels said the Thomson facility would accommodate residents without histories of violence, drugs or alcohol abuse.
The building would be safer than residential flats, “which anyone could occupy,” he said.
“They’re carefully selected by mental health professionals in the area – it’s not called Haven for nothing.”
Mr Fels said specialist nurses would monitor the accommodation at all times, ensuring safety for patients and nearby residents.
Moving mentally ill people to “a remote area with no services” was not the answer, he said.
Mr Fels said that some residents supported the plan.
The Haven proposal is awaiting council planning approval.
