Southwest Youth Mental Health Services

About Purro Gunya

Mind’s Purro Gunya program provides diverse services and support to people who live in the Southwest of Victoria and who are experiencing Mental Health issues.

The Purro Gunya Youth Residential Rehabilitation Service is available to young people, aged 16-24, whose lives have been affected by serious mental health issues. Purro Gunya is located in Warrnambool, close to shops, public transport and parks. Purro Gunya also offers specialist drug and alcohol services to its residents and outreach clients.

The program consists of two four bedroom and one two bedroom self-contained, fully furnished units that accommodate up to ten residents. Each resident has their own bedroom and shares the living area with others. There is an adjoining staff office and communal area with covered BBQ facilities situated at the rear of the property. Young people may reside at Purro Gunya for a period of up to two years and pay fees each fortnight calculated at 25% of their total income received.  There is also a Service fee of $40 per fortnight to cover items such as, asset replacement and maintenance of grounds and buildings.  This allows the resident to experience a closer approximation of independent living and to also contribute to a high quality service.

Staff are in attendance at Purro Gunya from 8.30am - 9pm, Monday to Friday with on-call phone support available on weekends and public holidays.

Purro Gunya also has an Outreach Service available for young people, aged 16-24. This service is offered to people who are considering entry into the residential program, and to clients who are moving on from the residential program to independent living.

Outreach is also offered to people who are able to live in their own home or other accommodation, but still need some assistance to help them with their recovery from mental illness or/and from drug and alcohol problems.

The Outreach position also provides a specialised Drug and Alcohol service to those residents who require this.

Program Approach

At Purro Gunya there is an emphasis on supporting young people to attain a sense of belonging and self-worth and to provide opportunities for them to make positive changes in their lives. Much of this work is done through assigning each client a support worker who is their key support whilst they are at Purro Gunya. The worker supports the client to develop their Individual Recovery Plan (IRP), which outlines goals that the client wants to achieve and the steps and skill development that is necessary to fulfil these goals.

Alongside clients expressing and achieving their own goals, there is also an emphasis on preparing young people for independent living, through working on day to day tasks and making links with the local community. The staff at Purro Gunya are aware of the isolation that is often felt by young people living in rural communities, so particular attention is given to this.

Referral Process

Purro Gunya accepts referrals from the Southwest Region of Victoria, which incorporates the shires of Glenelg, Southern Grampians, Moyne, Corangamite and the City of Warrnambool. Potential clients must be aged between 16 – 24 and have a mental illness and/or have significant risk in their life, struggle with drug and alcohol issues, require regular assistance with day to day living or be at risk of homelessness.

Referrals are accepted from families, GP’s, agencies and young people who may want to enter the program. Please contact the program for more information on the referral process.

Homefirst

Purro Gunya manages an Individual Service Package (ISP), which allows one client to maintain independent living within the community.  The package allows for a worker to provide 16 hours of one-on-one in house support per week.  This worker is based at the Purro Gunya program and supports the client to develop an Independent Recovery Plan (IRP) and to provide assistance and support with daily living tasks. 

Further information

Phone:  03 5562 6012 Fax: 03 5562 6804
Email:   info@mindaustralia.org.au