By the Community, for the Community: The story of Napier Street Aged Care Services

When state bureaucrats came up with a plan to convert a derelict girls' orphanage into a morgue in the 1970s, they hadn't banked on strong pushback from the local South Melbourne community. The iconic bluestone building was rescued and eventually given new life as an aged-care residential home in the early 1990s. Today, 25 years after opening its doors, Napier Street Aged Care Services continues to be successfully run by the community, offering a comfortable place for local residents to be cared for as they enter their final years. This book chronicles how one small not-for-profit organisation has negotiated the demands of operating within Australia's ever-changing aged care policy environment - and has not just survived, but thrived.