In 1986 a group of community members saw the need for an organisation to develop services to support people with serious psychiatric or emotional illnesses in the Mornington Peninsula area. An innovative committee developed Peninsula Psychiatric Services Inc. which later changed its name to Peninsula Support Services (PSS) in 1998. 

The first staff members at PSS were employed in April 1988, and were engaged to increase the quality and quantity of psychiatric services on the Peninsula.  At this time, people seeking acceptance and understanding of their psychiatric disability and who were also looking for services to support them, had few resources from which to choose.  The ‘local’ inpatient’s service was located seventy kilometres from the Peninsula; the local Community Mental Health Service was expected to be the central point of all service delivery whilst reported as being understaffed. Local self help networks found it difficult to gain support to increase their services. So in order to develop a coordinated and effective way of alleviating the situation, PSS was formed but did not provide direct services in its first year of operation. 

Historically, PSS took the role as a ‘facilitator’, and became involved in a variety of community development works, research and gaining access to generalist services.  Employment, recreational, accommodation and community services were targets for educational and access programs.  PSS began to operate as a central resource and referral point by collecting local information on groups and organisations that people with a psychiatric disability could utilise.  The local network of self help groups expanded during this time with a number of Melbourne groups syndicating their services to the Mornington Peninsula area.

The use of high media profile and the nature of being in the non government sector allowed PSS to develop itself as a powerful lobbying and advocacy group.  PSS lobbied successfully for the establishment of the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Team in Frankston and the Psychiatric Unit based at Frankston Hospital.  PSS worked with the new Psychiatric Unit (Mornington Peninsula Hospital Psychiatric Services) to provide community, carer and participant input into the initial development of the service. The inclusion of the major psychiatric services, carers and participants on the PSS Committee of Management created a natural environment for information sharing, inter-service cooperation and coordinated approach to service delivery.  PSS continues to provide this role to people with a psychiatric or emotional disability, their carers and families.

In 1987 PSS took a new direction with the receipt of a funding boost to employ an extra three staff to assist participants with rehabilitation and re-integration into the community.  Since that time, the State Government has steadily increased funding to the agency for Home Based Outreach, Transitional housing, Rehabilitation Day Programs and Intensive Outreach work.  Additional funding was also secured for Home and Community Care (HACC) programs supporting older people and to allow for specific programs to residents of all ages living in Supported Residential Services.