Importance of a step up, step down facility

Surely a facility where these people are in a supervised environment is infinitely better than sending them back to their own homes without someone who can supervise medication and monitor their recovery. 

From my experience and there has been over 30 years of helping my sister to battle her mental illness, I have watched her short term stay in the hospital where she begins to recover only to be released back into the community where she then refuses to take her medications properly and falls back into delusions and being very unwell. 

She never really knew what it was like to be well.

If she had have had a Step Down facility, she would have had another month of care. It might have made all the difference. 

The other point I wanted to make here is that mentally ill people are no more dangerous than the general population.

Most are gentle and very afraid as was my sister. 

They are also very likely to take their own lives.  

I can’t help but feel concerned that we as a community are so non-inclusive in our society that we will not welcome a supported home for the mentally ill and the low cost housing that was planned for South Bunbury. 

Why pay Lip Service to the R U OK? day and give money to suicide prevention when we cannot support these people in the most practical and loving way as opening our neighbourhoods to them so they can recover and become functioning members of our communities?  

Many violent people have no history of mental disorder and most people with mental illness have no history of violence.

In each year, approximately one in every five Australians will experience a mental illness

Fourteen per cent of Australian children and adolescents aged 4-17 have mental health or behavioural problems.

I have lobbied for a Step Up, Step Down facility for many years, these kids need something now and often the ones they love most, family, can’t help them. 

It needs to be done by highly trained staff in a purpose built facility over a long time.