A new health hub opens on Flinders Street on Monday
GPs, counselling, drug treatment, meals and showers under one roof, opposite the station. Here’s what it offers, and why not everyone is happy.
A new community health centre for some of Melbourne’s most vulnerable people opens on Monday 19 October on Flinders Street, opposite Flinders Street Station.
Flinders Street Health will be run by cohealth with $36.4 million from the Victorian Government, which announced the opening on 12 October. It is part of the state’s $95 million plan to reduce drug harm.
What’s inside
- GPs and primary health care
- Mental health and wellbeing support
- Alcohol and other drug treatment, harm reduction and referrals
- Counselling, and help with housing, jobs, family violence and legal problems
- Meals, showers and other basic facilities
Harm reduction workers and nurses will also work from the hub across the CBD. cohealth and the Department of Health say they will work with Victoria Police and the City of Melbourne.
“Everyone deserves access to healthcare and support,” said Mental Health Minister Ingrid Stitt. Lord Mayor Nick Reece told the ABC it was “the biggest investment in community health in the central city in decades”.
Not everyone is convinced
Some traders and city councillors worry about anti-social behaviour in the area, the ABC reported. The Greens welcomed the hub but want more supervised injecting rooms, while the Coalition says it wants more detail on the hub’s scope and consultation. A trial of hydromorphone, an alternative to methadone, is due to start at the site in 2027.
Why it matters to you
Thousands of us pass through Flinders Street every day. If you know someone sleeping rough or struggling with drugs or alcohol, this is a new place in the city where they can see a doctor, get a meal and get help with housing, all in one visit.
Sources: Victorian Government, New Health Hub Supports Melbourne’s Most Vulnerable, 12 October 2026; ABC News, 12 October 2026. General information, not medical advice.