A door-to-door mental health and wellbeing survey in Salisbury, Salisbury North and Paralowie has found that of those who had unsuccessfully tried to access mental health support, 1 in 5 said they did not get the care they needed because the process was too complex, difficult, or overwhelming.
The Assisting Communities through Direct Connection (ACDC) Project’s People Connectors spoke with and offered information to more than 1000 householders in Salisbury, some of whom then completed a survey of their experiences with mental health and accessing support.
The report of the survey found that 30% of respondents reported that they would benefit from additional help for their mental health and wellbeing.
Bill Gye, CEO of Community Mental Health Australia (CMHA), who manages the ACDC Project, says many people live with high levels of stress as if that is the norm for their lives.
“Certainly, this is the case in the City of Salisbury, which the ACDC Project has found more than double the national average of people living with high and very high levels of distress. Our survey data also indicates that most either do not seek help for a variety of reasons, or the help they get is inadequate.”
Mr Gye continued, “While we all wait and hope for the circumstances of lives to improve, we must learn what we need to do and get support to take better care of our mental health and wellbeing. As a society, we need to prioritise this and take responsibility for this key requirement for this challenging world we live in. In this regard, all levels of Government must come to the party to fund those supports in the community that will make this possible.”
The top three issues of concern for householders were:
- 18% – Housing
- 16% – Financial stress
- 14% – Climate change
Of the householders surveyed:
- 6% of respondents provided care for someone with disability, chronic condition, or mental health issue
- 4% of respondents reported a disability
Additionally, 33% of people reported they are worrying about their housing or living conditions.
People Connectors from Flourish Australia, who partnered with CMHA, went door-to-door between September 2023 and April 2024. They spoke with householders about their mental health and wellbeing and distributed information about free support services available in their area.
Aidan Conway, General Manager Services of Flourish Australia, emphasised that the ACDC Project has been an outstanding initiative in encouraging individuals to enhance their awareness of local services, and, in certain cases, to recognise the supports accessible within their community.
“This project has been a valuable tool to engage people who may not be traditionally linked to mental health services and help them identify any personal need.”
In terms of digital infrastructure, 19% reported having limited or no access to a private space at home where they could speak to someone online about their mental health and wellbeing, and 21% experienced barriers to or no access to telehealth services.
The ACDC Project is being implemented in communities across all states and territories of Australia to improve wellbeing and collect important data with the assistance of the Centre for Social Impact. The advantage to local communities arises not only from this preventative intervention but also from the collection and reporting of data on unmet mental health and wellbeing needs, that can and will be useful for local service planning.
To access the full City of Salisbury Community Report CLICK HERE
To learn more about the ACDC Project, please visit acdc.org.au
The ACDC Project is funded by the Department of Social Services (DSS).