Identifying marginal housing for people with a mental illness living in rural and regional areas.
OBJECTIVE
Homelessness among people with a mental illness is a serious issue. Objective: The study aimed to identify the types of housing available for people with a mental illness in the region; to develop an audit tool to assess the housing of patients of the mental health service; and to pilot this audit tool.


METHODS
Key informants were interviewed to obtain information about the type of housing options available in the Loddon Campaspe Southern Mallee Region. This information was used to develop a survey to audit the housing status of existing patients of the area mental health service. A pilot study using the survey was completed by case managers for 81 patients who were being case managed by the area mental health service.


RESULTS
There were a wide variety of housing options in the region, but housing availability was not evenly distributed. Although most patients lived in owned or rented accommodation, a substantial proportion of patients had difficulties with accessing the required services, the affordability of their housing, uncertainty of tenure or were at risk of violence within their housing.


CONCLUSIONS
A substantial proportion of patients treated by a rural area mental health service had lived in impoverished housing.
Grigg
Margaret
M
Center for Rural Mental Health, Bengigo Health Care Group, and School of Health, Bendigo, Australia.
Judd
Fiona
F
Ryan
Lisa
L
Komiti
Angela
A
D019090:Case Management / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003156:Community Mental Health Services / Q000592:standards; D006798:Housing / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D028642:Persons with Psychiatric Disorders / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D020380:Needs Assessment; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011204:Poverty Areas; D019035:Rural Health Services / Q000592:standards*; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014739:Victoria