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Mind Australia and The Haven Foundation will provide housing and support for up to 46 people living with significant mental health and wellbeing concerns in Horsham, Moe and Wangaratta.

The three new developments are being delivered in partnership with Homes Victoria as part of the Victorian Government’s $5.3 billion Big Housing Build, with construction already underway in regional Victoria. Once completed, these homes will offer high quality, long-term housing with support so that residents can work on their mental health recovery and live life to the fullest.

Haven residences feature between 12 and 16 one-bedroom self-contained homes, each with a main bedroom, built-in wardrobe, bathroom, kitchen and eating area, European laundry, lounge room and outdoor courtyard or balcony within a multi-unit property.

These residences will also feature shared indoor and outdoor community living and lounge areas, kitchen, meeting spaces and overnight facilities on-site for Mind Australia’s specialist mental health support staff.

This integrated social housing and support service is a partnership between Mind and community housing provider The Haven Foundation – a subsidiary of Mind.

Mind CEO Gill Callister said Haven residences are proven to be life changing for people experiencing significant mental health and wellbeing challenges.

“The Haven Foundation residences provide a safe and stable home with recovery support for people with mental health concerns,” Ms Callister said.

“Our outcome measure data shows that the Haven model is helping to significantly reduce the number of hospitalisations for residents. These residences enable people with significant long-term mental health issues to lead successful and fulfilling lives in the community.”

The Haven Foundation residences provide a safe and stable home with recovery support for people with mental health concerns.
- Mind CEO Gill Callister

Victoria’s Minister for Housing Harriet Shing MP said these Haven residences would provide people with the stability they need to work toward mental health recovery.

“These developments will provide more stable, safe homes across rural and regional Victoria to support people living with mental illness and provide the foundations and opportunities they deserve to live better lives,” Ms Shing said.

“More Victorians than ever are getting the support they need through Haven residences and facilities – which is why we are proud to deliver these homes for people in Horsham, Moe and Wangaratta in partnership with Mind Australia and The Haven Foundation.”

Mind’s qualified and experienced staff assist Haven residents with activities of daily living and support them to achieve their recovery goals, which is funded by their NDIS packages.

Mind staff include peer practitioners who use their own lived experience of mental health and wellbeing concerns to connect with clients and inspire their recovery journey.

The Haven Foundation and Mind also promote and support the involvement of family, friends and other carers in the lives of residents, as appropriate to each person’s needs.

Mark Heeney, Mind Executive Director of Housing Strategy, said The Haven Foundation conducts extensive research before selecting locations for Haven residences.

“Locations for Haven residences are chosen based on the need of the local region for mental health support of this kind,” he said.

“Specific sites are chosen to ensure proximity to shops, public transport and other amenities. This is important as we know that an important part of a person’s recovery is being able to manage daily activities, rebuild and maintain connections, engage with education and employment, and participate fully in the community.

“These things help people take positive steps in their recovery journey.”

Each new Haven residence is expected to generate jobs for more than 100 local sub-contractors and suppliers. New Haven residences also generate approximately 10 ongoing jobs for mental health sector workers.

There are currently nine Haven residences in Victoria located in Frankston (Wattle), South Yarra, Highton, Epping, Laverton, Mooroopna, Drouin, Ballarat and Pakenham.

Eight more residences in Kilmore, Colac, Frankston (Banksia), Corio, Sunbury, Wodonga, Wonthaggi and Traralgon were also announced by Homes Victoria in June 2023.

Planning is also underway for the first Haven residence in South Australia and the New South Wales government has committed to building the first three Haven residences in the state – with the first to be built on the Central Coast.

Construction for Haven Horsham will be complete by mid-2024, while Haven residences in Moe and Wangaratta will be built by late-2024.

If you would like more information about Mind services near you, contact us by submitting a form via Mind Connect or phone: 1300 286 463.

If this article raises concerns for you, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14. Aboriginal and Torres Straits Islanders can also call 13 YARN (13 92 76) a 24/7 national crisis support telephone service staffed by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. 
If you would like more information, please contact us.

1300 286 463 
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