Wintringham has bought the Welcome Stranger Motel, which has been closed for some time.

The Melbourne-based not-for-profit organisation has applied for a permit to transform the former motel into community care accommodation.

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Its plans for the site on MacKenzie Street West include a new pool, spa and garden bed, and amendments to some of the existing units.

"We're focused on delivering for the Bendigo community a quality outcome that supports people aged 50-plus to live well," Wintringham's acting chief executive, Michael Deschepper, said.

"We look forward to commencing our latest project in Golden Square, with the aim that it will further strengthen and enhance the range of services that we provide to older people in the Bendigo area."

The organisation's presence in the region includes units in Castlemaine, Macedon Ranges Shire, Maryborough and Heathcote.

"This new site will provide an opportunity for Wintringham to establish a presence in Bendigo and extend our local reach beyond our existing housing site at Heathcote, which has been a successful partnership with the local Heathcote Lions Club," Mr Deschepper said.

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The City of Greater Bendigo has referred the application for a decision.

Wintringham bought the Welcome Stranger Motel late last year.

"Thank you to everyone for all the support over the years, we appreciate you all," the motel's former owners said as they bid the business goodbye.

The property's new owners are on a mission "to eliminate the scourge of elderly homelessness".

The MacKenzie Street West site comes with 17 units and a number of buildings and sheds.

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