Abstract:

This report, by Astrid Reynolds, Susan Inglis and Anne O'Brien of Ecumenical Housing Inc., is the outcome of one of a number of AHURI projects examining more effective linkages between housing and support services for groups in the community with particular needs. This project looks at the issue from the perspective of people with mental illnesses. For these people, having stable accommodation and being able to sustain their tenancies (including through episodes of acute illness) is a major challenge. Some of these people have considerable difficulty accessing or maintaining stable housing without effective co-ordination between housing and other support services; for others the ability to live independently depends on being able to get affordable, secure and appropriate housing. The research was conducted in Victoria, but the conclusions apply to other Australian jurisdictions.