MCM welcomes ground breaking mental health Royal Commission

MCM welcomes the Royal Commission final report into Victoria’s Mental Health System, which seeks to completely transform Victoria’s response to mental health, particularly the recommendations to strengthen the system for young people.

MCM commends the Victorian Government on its commitment to implementing all 65 recommendations, including its commitment to invest in creating supported accommodation for young people living with mental ill-health and experiencing housing instability.

MCM strongly supports the Royal Commission’s recommendation to invest in 500 new medium-term (up to two years) supported housing places for young people aged 18-25 living with mental illness and experiencing unstable housing or homelessness.

MCM CEO, Vicki Sutton, says the investment to support young people experiencing mental illness will close an urgent gap for young people who present at homelessness services by enabling them to receive the appropriate level of support, preventing further compounding trauma and mental health decline.

“The additional 500 new supported housing places for young people living with mental illness and experiencing unstable housing or homelessness, will be a significant boost to helping young people in crisis overcome complex mental health and psychological distress which is intrinsically linked with the trauma and abuse that has contributed to their experience of homelessness.

“Over 60 per cent of young people who access our homelessness services have a mental health issue. They deserve an integrated and individually tailored mental health and well-being response to move beyond their experience of homelessness, mental illness and trauma toward a positive, independent and productive life,” Vicki said. 

MCM is looking forward to working together with the Victorian Government to implement the mental health Royal Commission's recommendations to better support young Victorians.

More information about what support is required for young people experiencing homelessness and mental health issues can be found in MCM's submission to the mental health Royal Commission.