Support for people with a mental illness

There are a number of ways in which the Fellowship supports people living with a mental illness (consumers). Services include:

• Support groups
• Rehabilitation programs
• Telephone information and referral service
• Helping Hands

Helping Hands

The Helping Hands Program is a volunteer support service for people living with mental illness in the Shoalhaven LGA. The volunteers support the consumers in social, recreational and work search activities. The volunteers also support the consumers to access rehabilitation services and hospital or doctor's appointments. As you can visualise, this is a very worthwhile service to the people living and recovering from mental illness.

The Helping Hands Volunteer Program was established in Nowra by the Illawarra Area Health Service (IAHS), under the Mental Health Integration Project (MHIP), and run by the Service from The Junction from June 2001 to June 2003. In 2003 the IAHS called for expressions of interest from non-government organisations to take over the running of the Program. The Schizophrenia Fellowship was successful in this process and took over the Program on July 1st 2003.

The Program is run from The Junction, Mental Health Rehabilitation Centre in Nowra; however it provides a service to all the Shoalhaven area, including Milton - Ulladulla.  Co-ordinator: Ph 4421 8039