HELPING INDIVIDUALS LIVING WITH MENTAL ILLNESS

SUSTAIN TENANCIES

Cooperation, Coordination, Collaboration?

Carolyn WilliamsEmily Teding van Berkhout – emily.tvb@wcs.org.au

How did the project come to be? Partners in Recovery (PIR) Consortiums 2014/2015 Accessing and sustaining tenancies key issue raised Supportive Tenancy Service workers raise living

with mental illness as key issue Capital Health Network provides flexible funds to

Woden Community Service and Belconnen Community Service to explore these issues

Mental Illness and Housing Project

Our Key Purpose…

To gain a stronger understanding of the specialist support that individuals living with

severe and enduring mental illness may require to establish and maintain tenancies

The main objectives include

Identify the needs and barriers faced in accessing and maintaining secure tenancies

Identify the resources and capacities that the STS team currently bring

Identify the ways in which the current capacity and skills of STS can be enhanced

To help establish clearer role expectations between PIR and STS workers

How can the NDIS be useful?

Supportive Tenancy Service

Time for an activity!

Discussion

What was the activity like? Did you draw anything recognisable? How did the time pressure feel? Did your expectation of the finished product

change?

Sustaining Tenancy – multiple stakeholders

Who? Service user Landlord or HACT Family Mental health services Financial services Legal services Child and youth services Tenancy Support

Do they all have the same goal?

Lets look at an example

John 44 years old Public housing Two school aged

children Living with severe

depression Referred for property

condition

Involved• John• Housing ACT• Child, youth,

family gateway • Mental Health

(public)• Others?

What are the agendas?

John: To get public housing off his back and live how he wants

HACT: to get the property condition corrected MH: to assist John with improving his mental

health CYF: to help children – does CPS need to be

involved? STS: to help John to keep his tenancy, and make

sure it is sustainable for the future

How would STS collaborate?

Meet with John. What does John actually want? Does he consent to you talking with other services?

Case conference +/- John Shared goals Regular communication Flexibility

The Challenges

Engaging the service user STS is voluntary, but can feel mandatory Agency policies on closing files due to non-engagement

Conflicting agendas and timeframes We want to work at John’s pace if possible

Trust between services Communication barriers e.g. Consent Roles and Responsibilities Time

The Continuum of IntegrationAutonomy Cooperation Coordination Collaboration Integration

Agencies act without reference to each other, although the actions of one may affect the other(s).

Agencies establish ongoing ties and provide limited support to an activity undertaken by the other agency. Communication and sharing information is emphasised.

Separate partners plan the alignment of their activities. Duplication of activities and resources is minimised. Requires agreed plans and protocols or the appointment of a coordinator or manager.

Partners put their resources into a pool for a common purpose, but remain separate. Responsibility for using the pooled resources is shared by each of them. Requires: - common goals and philosophy - agreed plans and governance - agreed administrative arrangements.

Links between separate agencies draw them into a single system. Boundaries between the agencies dissolve as they merge some or all of their activities, processes or assets.

Table1. (http://communitydoor.org.au/sites/default/files/A_GUIDE_TO_INTEGRATED_SERVICE_DELIVERY_TO_CLIENTS.pdf)

Strategies to Improve Collaboration

Clear goals and accountability Participation Transparency

Open and honest communication One clear, agreed upon, case plan

Limits multiple agendas Lead by example

Take Home Message

Collaboration is ideal but challenging Requires strong partnerships, commitment,

transparent and mutual goals, and trust Working with different agencies, different levels of

experience with mental illness STS promotes and encourages collaborative

approaches

The Project

Have you had experience with the interactions between severe mental illness and housing problems?

What do you think the key barriers people living with mental illness face in regards to tenancies?

What, if any, are the particular needs of people living with mental illness in regards to housing?

Do you have anything to contribute?

IF YOU HAVE ANY FEEDBACK, SUGGESTIONS, OR IDEAS TO INFORM OUR PROJECT PLEASE CONTACT US:emily.tvb@wcs.org.au

Carolyn WilliamsEmily Teding van Berkhout – emily.tvb@wcs.org.au