The Southport Youth Support Service was established by Melbourne City Mission in 1987, to support young people in the areas of South Melbourne and Port Melbourne. The service was set up to work collaboratively with local government, other services and local businesses to respond to a wide range of issues for young people including education, employment, health and recreation. It included supported accommodation for young people who needed to live away from their parents. The service was closed in 2000 as Melbourne Citymission (the organisation’s new name) made a conscious decision to focus on youth homelessness issues.