Reaching out to vulnerable Victorians
It’s the small things that have the biggest impact on social worker Debbie Sulman and her team at Alfred Health’s Homeless Outreach Psychiatric Service (HOPS).
Working with adults experiencing mental health issues and who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless, Debbie and her team of nine spend most days on the streets of the inner south, meeting with clients in their temporary accommodation, parks or the streets.
“We had one client, Sarah*, who was in her 20s and had arrived from interstate with nothing, leaving behind a range of quite complex legal and family issues,” Debbie said.
“She was sleeping rough, and a frequent drug user with significant mental health issues; and she had minimal contact with support agencies.
“We knew through our referral network that she needed quite intensive mental health support, but it was hard to track her down. We’d always keep an eye out for her, but it was difficult to make that connection.
“After about a month, we spotted her on the street. It was luck but it was also the team’s determination to support Sarah that got us there.
“We were able to slowly build a solid rapport, working with her to find safe supported housing, commencing her back on her medication and linking her in with longer term supports.”
The team’s work is based on meeting clients where they are at – both physically and in life.
“It’s all about working alongside clients to understand what they need most urgently, what they want for themselves, and how we help them get there,” Debbie said.
This work typically involves supporting clients to secure safe accommodation, linking them in with relevant mental health, drug and alcohol and other health services, and supporting them to navigate legal, financial and welfare assistance, if required.
“We also focus very much on the individual with a trauma-informed and strengths-based approach – can we identify any positive relationships in their lives? Do they want to reconnect with family? How do they want to be living?”
HOPS is made up of psychiatrists, psychiatric nurses and social workers who each play a unique role in supporting both the short and long term goals of clients.
“One of the most crucial parts of our work is how closely we collaborate with other community organisations to support our shared clients,” Debbie said.
“We have partnerships with a range of homeless, drug and alcohol and medical services which means we can support people to navigate some of those quite overwhelming service systems.
“That way, there’s less chance of people ‘slipping through the cracks’ and more chance they will feel engaged and connected with support that is actually meaningful to them.”
As for Sarah, she’s recently returned from a visit back home to reconcile with a member of her family.
“There’s still a long way to go for so many of our clients,” Debbie said. “But seeing someone take a step forward like that is what we’re here for.”
