Lincoln House, Melbourne, was established by the Central Mission in around 1939. It was a hostel for around 20 young men who were leaving the Tally Ho Boys' Training Farm and looking for employment. Lincoln House closed in 1950.
Lincoln House was a hostel in King Street, Melbourne, established by the Central Mission to cater for older boys when they left Tally Ho Training Farm to seek employment (around 25% of boys leaving Tally Ho went to Lincoln House).
A publication in 1940 described Lincoln House:
For those who have aspirations towards factory or other work in the city, a hostel is provided in Melbourne for the boy who has no home. About twenty-eight boys live at Lincoln House and work in industry. Occasionally boys from the country and other institutions are given a home also, for, when these lads start, their wages are not sufficient for them to go to a guest house, and they need more attention and guidance than these places usually provide … The boys have their religious, social and educational activities cared for also, and an attempt is made to guide them safely through the turbulent years of adolescence.
Like many other hostels during this period, Lincoln House received some subsidy from the state government.
The hostel closed on 6 May 1950.
Sources used to compile this entry: A helping hand needs financial help, The Argus, 3 September 1949, 10 pp, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article22776329; Howe, Renate; Swain, Shurlee, The Challenge of the City: the centenary history of Wesley Central Mission 1893-1993, Hyland House, Flemington, 1993.
Prepared by: Cate O'Neill
Created: 22 July 2010, Last modified: 6 November 2018