Jennifer Pittorino
Hobsons Bay council is urging residents to join a community campaign to address the lack of mental health services for young people in the inner west.
With 10 per cent of 15-25-year-olds in Hobsons Bay identified as having a long-term mental health condition, council is encouraging the community to support a new campaign to bring specialist youth mental health services to the area.
According to council, there are very few free or low-cost mental health services for young people in Hobsons Bay.
The nearest headspace centres located in Werribee and Sunshine are more than an hour away by public transport and have an average waiting time for an appointment of 12 months.
Council said it is calling on the state and federal governments to fund free or low-cost, ongoing mental health services in Hobsons Bay for young people needing accessible, affordable and timely support.
This could be a psychologist-run mental health support service such as headspace provided by the federal government, or additional funding for other mental health services to reach more young people in the area.
Council also said it is keen to partner with the state and federal governments to provide more support services for young people that are easily accessible by public transport and complement council’s other youth-oriented services.
Mayor Tony Briffa said securing vital mental health services for young people is a key advocacy priority for Hobsons Bay council.
“We are calling on the state and federal governments to partner with us to ensure young people in Melbourne’s inner west, including Hobsons Bay, have access to local, timely and affordable mental health support when they need it,” she said.
“Council officers and I met with the federal minister’s senior advisers while we were in Canberra for the Australian Local Government Association National General Assembly.
“The establishment of a local headspace service would be a tangible way for the federal government to demonstrate that it shares our commitment to filling the gap in youth mental health services.”
Details: youthmentalhealthinnerwest.com.au
