3,500 More Australians with Mental Illness to Get Day-To-Day Support
More than 3,500 Australians living with severe and persistent mental illness will receive day-to-day support to stay connected to their community through arts and crafts workshops, cooking lessons, shopping trips and other social outings.
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16 December 2011
More than 3,500 Australians living with severe and persistent mental illness will receive day-to-day support to stay connected to their community through arts and crafts workshops, cooking lessons, shopping trips and other social outings.
From 1 January 2012, an extra $19.3 million will be provided to community organisations to deliver the Support for Day to Day Living in the Community (D2DL) program.
“Australians with a severe mental illness can face significant challenges reconnecting to their community both during and after recovery,” Minister for Mental Health and Ageing and Minister for Social Inclusion, Mark Butler, said today during a visit to the Mental Health Fellowship of South Australia in Wayville.
“These Australians are often socially isolated, have low levels of support or are so affected by mental illness that they find it hard to function independently in the community.
“Meaningful activity and social connection are critical to people’s recovery from mental illness and Day to Day Living is proven to work, already helping thousands of people to begin their recovery journey.
“The extra funding will provide more people with severe mental illness with a friendly environment to help them face the challenge of reengaging in social activities and developing other important life skills, such as cooking, and build their confidence.”
The Gillard Labor Government is currently providing around 11,000 Australians living with a mental illness with structured personal and social support through the D2DL program.
Since 2006, more than $45 million has been invested in Day to Day Living.
“The $19.3 million boost rolls out from January 2012, and existing Day to Day Living program providers will receive a 30 per cent boost to their funding,” Mr Butler said.
“With the $19.3 million additional funding, this means in total around $70 million over the next five years will be provided for the program.”
The Gillard Labor Government is reforming the mental health system to ensure that people living with a mental illness get appropriate care and support.
The additional $19.3 million over five years for the program is part of this year’s $2.2 billion mental health package – the largest in Australian history.
For more information please contact the Minister’s Office on 02 6277 7280
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