Alan ran his own business as a financial advisor until a family breakdown sent him into a downward spiral. Alcohol, drugs and gambling exacerbated his mental health problems. He lost jobs, housing and connections.
Alan feels fortunate he found support to get his life back on track and now shares his experiences as a member of the HMHA Lived Experience Advisory Committee to improve the system for others.
‘Issues around housing and mental health overlap way too often. And the current systems don’t always offer the best support for the clients. For example, there are lots of properties around Sydney that they put people into because they’re hard to let – but they’re hard to let for a reason. And when people are already struggling with their mental health and they have to live like that, without any wraparound care, it’s not giving them the chance they need to get better.’
‘Wraparound support is case management – but it’s more than that. It’s also like having a manager of your life, because they’re they keep you on your toes and make sure stuff gets done. They connect you to the support you need when you’re struggling, whether it’s a doctor, psychologist, psychiatrist, social supports, or legal aid.’
Alan heard about the advisory group through a friend who knew he was passionate about improving mental health services. He has been pleased to see the impact that has been made in just the first year.
‘The voice of lived experience can be there as a tick-a-box. But because we work with the Justice and Equity Centre, it carries more weight. People listen. I’ve been part of other lived experience advisory groups, and you do a lot of work. But it’s not always followed through.’
‘We are supported to take part in consultations and think about what we are going to say, which is important. We’ve had the opportunity to present to the statewide steering committee. We’ve had opportunities to give feedback to DCJ as they develop their trauma-informed training, explaining how frontline staff could better support clients. I feel that they’re taking notice of us a lot more.’
‘The whole environment is changing so people are understanding the importance of lived experience across the spectrum of services. That there’s value we can add. The learnings we can give organisations and also help them recognise the strengths they have as well. We’re not in there just to take potshots. We’re actually there to say, well, in this area, you’re doing great. But over here there are a few gaps.’
The advisory group includes a diversity of experience, which allows them to see the big picture.
‘There is a mutuality around some of our lived experience but we all have different backgrounds. You need that diversity because the more opinions and experiences we can throw out there, the better opportunities there are for us to say well, four or five people have said this before, so maybe it’s a systematic change that we need to be looking at.’
‘I’ve seen that by sharing my experience it can help other people. I’ve had people reach out to me and say, well, if you can get through it, I can get through it. Or, I didn’t know that was going on, I’m so sorry. There’s been lots of good experiences.’
Alan’s story: how lived experience can change the system
Alan ran his own business as a financial advisor until a family breakdown sent him into a downward spiral. Alcohol, drugs and gambling exacerbated his mental health problems. He lost jobs, housing and connections.
Alan feels fortunate he found support to get his life back on track and now shares his experiences as a member of the HMHA Lived Experience Advisory Committee to improve the system for others.
‘Issues around housing and mental health overlap way too often. And the current systems don’t always offer the best support for the clients. For example, there are lots of properties around Sydney that they put people into because they’re hard to let – but they’re hard to let for a reason. And when people are already struggling with their mental health and they have to live like that, without any wraparound care, it’s not giving them the chance they need to get better.’
‘Wraparound support is case management – but it’s more than that. It’s also like having a manager of your life, because they’re they keep you on your toes and make sure stuff gets done. They connect you to the support you need when you’re struggling, whether it’s a doctor, psychologist, psychiatrist, social supports, or legal aid.’
Alan heard about the advisory group through a friend who knew he was passionate about improving mental health services. He has been pleased to see the impact that has been made in just the first year.
‘The voice of lived experience can be there as a tick-a-box. But because we work with the Justice and Equity Centre, it carries more weight. People listen. I’ve been part of other lived experience advisory groups, and you do a lot of work. But it’s not always followed through.’
‘We are supported to take part in consultations and think about what we are going to say, which is important. We’ve had the opportunity to present to the statewide steering committee. We’ve had opportunities to give feedback to DCJ as they develop their trauma-informed training, explaining how frontline staff could better support clients. I feel that they’re taking notice of us a lot more.’
‘The whole environment is changing so people are understanding the importance of lived experience across the spectrum of services. That there’s value we can add. The learnings we can give organisations and also help them recognise the strengths they have as well. We’re not in there just to take potshots. We’re actually there to say, well, in this area, you’re doing great. But over here there are a few gaps.’
The advisory group includes a diversity of experience, which allows them to see the big picture.
‘There is a mutuality around some of our lived experience but we all have different backgrounds. You need that diversity because the more opinions and experiences we can throw out there, the better opportunities there are for us to say well, four or five people have said this before, so maybe it’s a systematic change that we need to be looking at.’
‘I’ve seen that by sharing my experience it can help other people. I’ve had people reach out to me and say, well, if you can get through it, I can get through it. Or, I didn’t know that was going on, I’m so sorry. There’s been lots of good experiences.’
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