Footscray Welcome Crew
The Footscray Welcome Crew is a Council-led place management program for the Footscray Central Business District.
The Crew provides a visible Council presence in the city centre to support traders, visitors, residents and community members, identify local issues early and connect matters to the right Council team, service provider or agency.
The program forms part of Council’s broader Footscray Revitalisation work and supports delivery of the Footscray CBD Place Plan.
Below you will find:
What the Welcome Crew does
The Welcome Crew will:
- provide local information, wayfinding and practical assistance
- respond to general enquiries
- check in with traders and local businesses
- identify issues affecting amenity, activity or public space use
- refer graffiti, waste, cleansing, lighting, maintenance or public realm issues to the relevant Council team
- support events, activations and positive use of public space
- share information about relevant Council programs and services
- help improve coordination between Council, services and local partners.
What the Welcome Crew does not do
The Welcome Crew is not a security, enforcement, police, outreach or clinical service.
The Crew will not:
- issue fines, notices or statutory directions
- physically intervene in incidents
- move people on
- provide case management or clinical support
- replace Victoria Police, Local Laws officers or specialist services
- act as a dedicated complaints service.
Where an issue sits outside the Crew’s role, staff will refer or escalate it through the appropriate pathway.
For emergencies, immediate danger, violence, threats or urgent medical assistance, call triple zero (000).
Supporting people in the CBD
Footscray CBD is used by people with a wide range of needs and circumstances.
Where safe and appropriate, the Welcome Crew may provide information, check whether immediate assistance is required and refer people to outreach, health, housing, mental health, alcohol and other drug, or community support services.
The Crew will not provide clinical support, case management or specialist outreach.
Where and when the Crew will operate
The Welcome Crew will operate across the Footscray CBD, primarily on foot.
Deployment will be guided by activity levels, public space use, trader needs, visitor movement and known place management issues.
The Crew will operate during rostered hours, generally between 7am and 7pm, Monday to Friday, with some Saturday presence.
The Welcome Crew is not a 24-hour service and does not replace after-hours emergency, police, security or crisis response functions.
Monitoring and review
Council will monitor the Welcome Crew during the first three to six months of operation.
This may include public interactions, referrals, trader and resident feedback, service partner feedback, staff wellbeing and safety incidents, issues identified and referred, and evidence of improved coordination.
The model may be refined over time based on operational experience, stakeholder feedback and Council priorities.
More information
For more information about the Footscray Welcome Crew, please email footscray@maribyrnong.vic.gov.au or visit the Footscray CBD Revitalisation page.