In 1963, while led by Reverend Dr Sir Alan Walker, it established Lifeline, now Australia's largest national phone support service and operating in 19 countries.
In 1978 Gordon Moyes became Superintendent, and it started producing the nationally broadcast TV show Turn Around Australia (now Wesley Impact!
In 1979, Edward Eagar Lodge opened, extending on earlier homeless housing work started in 1866.
It works across a range of service areas including aged care, children youth and family, crisis and homelessness, disability, and employment.
At that time, the area was known as the 'back slums' of Melbourne and was notorious for opium dens, gambling houses and places of ill-repute.
Wesley's heritage is founded on the response of Wesleyan Methodists in Victoria to the severe economic depression and associated inner city poverty of the early 1890s.
Today the organisation employs over 800 staff and receives the support of over 1,600 volunteers who help to deliver more than 50 services across metropolitan Melbourne.