Media Release by The Hon Jenny Macklin MP

Personal help on the road to recovery

The Australian Government today announced it will double the reach of the Personal Helpers and Mentors program, expanding the number of sites from 76 to 155 to deliver more services to people with a severe mental illness.

A further 39 non-government organisations have been selected to deliver the program in 79 sites at a cost of almost $100 million.

This will create approximately 400 full-time equivalent positions across the country.

Mental illness can have a devastating effect on people’s lives leaving them feeling isolated, vulnerable and at risk of drug and alcohol misuse.

The program targets those most in need-people who cannot manage their daily activities or live independently because they have a severe mental illness.

Personal helpers and mentors work one-on-one with participants helping them achieve their goals-for example, how to manage every day tasks such as housekeeping.

They also work on improving relationships with family and friends and becoming more involved in community life.

And they make sure that participants are connected with essential clinical and support services.

By building confidence and increasing connections within the community, personal helpers and mentors can help overcome crippling social isolation.

People can refer themselves to the program, or their families and carers can encourage them to join or they can be referred to the program by a local health or community organisation.

So far more than 3,400 people have joined the program.

It is expected that new services will begin from April 2009.

The Government has committed $284.8 million from 2006-2011 for the program, with 76 sites currently operating around the country- 41 in metropolitan areas and 35 in rural, regional and remote locations.

NSW – Site Organisation Amount $
Albury/Corowa/Holbrook/Culcairn/Lockhart/Urana Centacare Managers Incorporated 1,339,890
Brewarrina/Bourke/Mitchell The Richmond Fellowship of NSW 1,339,890
Broken Hill Centacare Diocese of Wilcannia-Forbes 1,339,890
Camperdown and Rozelle Aftercare 1,210,800
Coffs/Clarence Coffs Harbour Employment Service 1,339,890
Cowra Bathurst Aftercare 1,339,890
Eurobodalla Valley – Batemans Bay/Moruya Schizophrenia Fellowship of NSW 1,339,890
Hawkesbury Uniting Church in Australia Property Trust (NSW & ACT) 1,210,800
Inverell The Benevolent Society 1,339,890
Katoomba/Upper Blue Mountains/Lithgow Aftercare 1,210,800
La Perouse Maroubra Sydney Anglican Home Mission Society Council 1,210,800
Lake Macquarie New Horizons Enterprises Limited 1,339,890
Lower Blue Mountains/Springwood Aftercare 1,210,800
Macleay/Hastings New Horizons Enterprises Limited 1,339,890
Maitland/Cessnock Aftercare 1,339,890
Marrickville Neami Limited 1,210,800
Mudgee The Benevolent Society 1,339,890
Murrumbidgee Griffith/Hay/Hillston/Leeton/Narrandera Centacare Managers Incorporated 1,339,890
Narrabri The Trustees for the Roman Catholic Church, Diocese of Armidale 1,339,890
Parkes/Forbes/Condobolin The Richmond Fellowship of NSW 1,339,890
Queanbeyan/Yass The Richmond Fellowship ACT Inc 1,339,890
Randwick and Kingsford Sydney Anglican Home Mission Society Council 1,210,800
Redfern – Waterloo New Horizons Enterprises Limited 1,210,800
Southern Tablelands – Crookwell/Goulburn The Richmond Fellowship ACT Inc 1,339,890
Sutherland and St George Region Aftercare 1,210,800
Taree-Manning The Trustees of the Roman Catholic Church for the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle trading as Centacare 1,339,890
Woy Woy (Central Coast 2) Aftercare 1,210,800
TOTAL 34,886,130
Victoria – Site Organisation Amount $
Grampians – 1 – Central Highlands Mind Australia 1,339,890
Hume – Goulburn Valley Mitchell Community Health Centre Inc 1,339,890
Hume – North East Upper Hume Community Health Service Inc 1,339,890
Inner Urban East 2 Yarra Inner East Mental Health Services Association Inc 1,210,800
Loddon Mallee – Campaspe St Luke’s Anglicare Ltd 1,339,890
North and West – North West – Moreland Moreland Community Health Service Inc 1,210,800
North and West – City of Brimbank Norwood Association Inc 1,210,800
North and West – Darebin Neami Limited 1,210,800
North and West – Melton Norwood Association Inc 1,210,800
North and West – Northern – Whittlesea Mind Australia 1,210,800
North and West – South West – Hobson’s Bay and Maribyrnong Western Region Health Centre Ltd 1,210,800
North and West Hume 1 Western Region Health Centre Ltd 1,210,800
North and West – South West – Wyndham Western Region Health Centre Ltd 1,210,800
North East – Banyule and Nillumbik Neami Limited 1,210,800
Peninsula North Mental Illness Fellowship of Victoria 1,210,800
Peninsula South and Westernport Mental Illness Fellowship of Victoria 1,210,800
Southern Bayside The Uniting Church in Australia Property Trust (VIC) 1,210,800
TOTAL 21,099,960
Queensland – Site Organisation Amount $
Bundaberg Bundaberg Skills Centre Incorporated 1,339,890
Cairns Aftercare 1,339,890
Charters Towers Supported Options in Lifestyle and Access Services Inc. 1,339,890
Coolangatta/Burleigh Aftercare 1,210,800
Gladstone Community Solutions 1,339,890
Inner Brisbane North Communify Qld 1,210,800
Inner Brisbane South Aftercare 1,210,800
Logan The Benevolent Society 1,210,800
Mt Isa Anglicare North Queensland Ltd 1,339,890
Northern Brisbane Neami Limited 1,210,800
Northern Sunshine Coast The Schizophrenia Fellowship of Queensland Inc 1,210,800
Redcliffe/Deception Bay Aftercare 1,210,800
Southern Brisbane Neami Limited 1,210,800
Toowoomba The Schizophrenia Fellowship of Queensland Inc 1,339,890
Warwick Lifeline Darling Downs and South West Queensland Ltd 1,339,890
West Moreton Aftercare 1,210,800
TOTAL 20,276,430
South Australia – Site Organisation Amount $
Eastern Metropolitan Area Mind Australia 1,210,800
Murray Bridge Catholic Church Endowment Society 1,339,890
Northern Metropolitan Area Catholic Church Endowment Society 1,210,800
Outer Southern Metropolitan Area Mental Illness Fellowship of South Australia 1,210,800
Port Pirie UnitingCare Wesley Port Pirie Incorporated 1,339,890
South East of South Australia Mental Illness Fellowship of South Australia 1,339,890
Southern Metropolitan Area – Unley/Mitcham Mental Illness Fellowship of South Australia 1,210,800
TOTAL 8,862,870
Western Australia – Site Organisation Amount $
Balga/Central North Metropolitandistrict Daughters of Charity Services (WA) 1,210,800
Clarkson/Upper North Metropolitan district UnitingCare West 1,210,800
Fremantle Daughters of Charity Services (WA) 1,210,800
Inner City district/Perth Daughters of Charity Services (WA) 1,210,800
Joondalup/Upper North district UnitingCare West 1,210,800
Kalgoorlie/Goldfields Australian Red Cross 1,339,890
Mt Lawley/Inner City district Daughters of Charity Services (WA) 1,210,800
Osborne Park/Central North Daughters of Charity Services (WA) 1,210,800
Scarborough/Lower North Metropolitan district UnitingCare West 1,210,800
TOTAL 11,026,290
Tasmania – Site
Organisation
Amount $
Brighton Lower Midlands and Central Highlands Anglicare Tasmania Inc 1,210,800
Devonport/Kentish Mission Australia 1,210,800
TOTAL 2,421,600
ACT – Site
Organisation
Amount $
Belconnen and Gungahlin The Richmond Fellowship ACT 1,210,800
TOTAL 1,210,800
TOTAL – AUSTRALIA 99,784,080