Community Services
Recovery Focused Mental Health Services
Recovery focused services work with people to develop their full potential to achieve their goals and actively participate as citizens in their community. Programs include:
- Home Based Outreach
- Intensive Home Based Outreach
- Day program activities
- Young person’s programs
- SEEDS - postnatal depression support
- Mothers support programs
- Mental Health Pathways program (housing support)
- Supported Accommodation and Assistance Program (SAAP)
- Assertive Outreach
Structured programs for men and women experiencing depression are periodically available.
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Supported Accommodation Assistance Programs
Supported Accommodation Assistance Programs (SAAP) provides housing assistance and support to individuals and families in:
• Whirrakee (Bendigo) a specialist, psychiatric-specific SAAP service for people with mental illness and homeless issues. Whirrakee manages transitional housing opportunities and supports people to maintain their independence.
• Mental Health Pathways for persons with a mental illness who are at risk of, or experiencing homelessness. This is a partnership approach with Area Mental Health Service, Psychiatric Disability Rehabilitation Support Services and SAAP services.
• Echuca and District Accommodation Support for individuals and families who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. This includes short-term crisis accommodation and support for people and families to assist them in times of need, and assistance for people to develop more permanent housing opportunities.
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Mental Health and Respite Services
Psychiatric Disability Rehabilitation and Support Services (PDRSS) These are recovery focused mental health services for people aged 16 to 65 with a diagnosed serious mental illness. The services complement and work alongside clinical psychiatric services. They operate on a client based recovery model, have a holistic focus.
The PDRS programs aim to provide flexible, responsive and effective services by assisting and supporting people in their rehabilitation journey. Staff work closely with clients to implement Individual Service Plans in order to achieve clients’ goals.
PDRSS programs include:
- Day programs
a combination of centre-based and community-based rehabilitation group programs
- Home based outreach services
individual outreach rehabilitation and support including intensive support for clients with complex and high needs
- Housing and support
long term housing and support to assist clients with a mental illness to access and sustain suitable housing
- Mental Health Pathways
helping clients experiencing or at risk of homelessness to access suitable and appropriate accommodation
- Mother’s Connect
services for women with a mental illness who are parents of small children
- Young people’s activity programs
including social, recreational and pre-vocational training
a combination of centre-based and community-based rehabilitation group programs
Planned respite care
Planned respite care offers adults aged 18-65 living with a mental illness and their carer’s flexible respite in a form that best suits their needs. The service operates through St Luke’s and is affiliated with Mallee Family Care.
To be eligible, carer and client must live in the Loddon Mallee region and both must be looking for planned respite. Clients need to have clinical support (e.g. case manager, private psychiatrist or GP) where psychiatric services are not available.
Respite is designed to give a carer time out from the usual caring role. It can be used in a variety of ways:
• The respite worker is available to assist the carer and client develop a respite plan.
• Respite can be provided in your home, for example when the carer is going out or away.
• Respite funding can be used for activities out of home, club memberships, educational courses, a break away.
The respite service offers carers and clients the opportunity to meet some of their individual needs including:
• assistance in planning and coordinating details and arrangements of the respite break
• information for carers and clients on services available in their local area
• gaining support from other services to have a well planned and resourced break.
PDRSS are regionally provided services from the St Luke’s offices in:
• Albury (NSW)
• Bendigo – Whirrakee
• Echuca
• Castlemaine
• Deniliquin(NSW)
• Kyneton
• Maryborough
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Disability Support Services
Disability Support Services provide a range of support to people with an identified disability: intellectual, sensory, physical or acquired brain injury. The program operates in Macedon Ranges and Mt. Alexander Shires and in the City of Bendigo
Services available
There are various components of the program:
outreach support assists people living independently in the community can be provided for people on individual support packages. Respite care is available for people caring for people with a disability. Intensive support is provided for a small number of people sharing accommodation. Generally, services provided are tailored to individual need.
The program is flexible and aims to meet people’s individual needs. Direct support may include:
• developing living skills
• budgeting and banking
• domestic routines
• linking to the community
• liaison with other service providers
• in-home respite
• respite designed to suit individual needs
• recreation
Contact the Disability Support Services team leader by phone Bendigo on
(03) 5448 1000 or Kyneton (03) 5421 2000, or email d.coffey@stlukes.org.au --
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Victims Assistance and Counselling Program
The program is designed to assist victims to overcome the negative effects of the trauma of crime. A victim of crime is a person who has suffered harm because of a criminal act. That harm can be physical injury, emotional trauma or financial loss.
A victim may include those directly affected by crime, or their families and friends. It also includes witnesses to a crime and relatives of a person who dies as a result of crime.
The Program provides Information about:
• The Police
• Court Processes
• Victims’ rights
• Victims of Crime Assistance Tribunal Applications
• Support agencies and services
The Program also provides:
• Counselling
• Advocacy
• Practical Support
• Court Support
Crimes may include:
Assault, rape, aggravated robbery, stalking, homicide, aggravated burglary, child abuse, culpable driving, domestic violence and other crimes against the person.
For Referrals call the Victims Assistance Helpline on: 1800819817 8am – 11pm Monday to Friday.
Victims Assistance and Counselling Program can be contacted by calling
54481000 or 1800819817 (Free call ) for the Southern Loddon Mallee Area.
Offices in
• Bendigo
• Castlemaine
• Kyneton
• Maryborough
• Heathcote
• Echuca
Making Contact:
For further information about any of these Community Services please feel free to contact St Luke's on:
Telephone: (03) 5440 1100
Email: cs@stlukes.org.au