Life membership honour for work on Warrnambool's Heatherlie Homes project

"It's just a good cause that I'm involved with, and happily so," he said.

It's that passion for helping others that led to him being honoured with a life membership to Heatherlie Homes - the Uniting Church-run independent-living project.

Mr Armitstead was asked to join in 2005 and within 12 months he was the chairperson, serving every year except one when he had to take a compulsory year off.

"After every nine years you've got to have a year off," he said.

And, in February this year he passed the baton on to a new chairman while he has another compulsory year off but that hasn't stopped him from still being involved.

The south-west businessman said the housing crisis in Warrnambool was only getting worse.

"We've got a fairly sizable waiting list at the moment. A few years ago we had about 15 vacant units at one stage," he said.

Heatherlie Homes has been built over about 40 years and was mainly set up for those over 55.

"The majority of people that live there have been widowed over the years, but that has changed in recent years," he said.

"It's quite unique, even within the Uniting Church."

Heatherlie Homes was in the process of building more units in Princess Street which will take the total number of units to 100.

There will be even more when land on Merri Street, opposite the railway station, was also developed into independent living units.

"Every unit we build, there's a house that becomes vacant. It does help the housing shortage a little bit," he said.

"It is an affordable option for people and it's very central which is most important."

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