The shared respect and trust have enabled us not only to remain connected but to thrive under challenging circumstances with new services established on a remote footing and existing services finding new ways to deliver support.

Our firmly established homelessness services across Sydney were pivotal in supporting people sleeping rough to access temporary accommodation in response to COVID-19. The rapid implementation of Step-Link provided immediate support for people sleeping rough whilst also supporting people to move into permanent housing. Working with local housing providers and the Department of Communities and Justice has evolved to ensure that wrap-around support is available to help sustain tenancies and improve health and wellbeing.

Following several successful years, the SPConnect service transitioned to an enhanced Wayback service. Now working with seven metropolitan hospitals, the in-reach suicide prevention and aftercare service will connect more people to support following self-harm or attempted suicide. With the support of the Central and Eastern Sydney PHN, we are excited to take our original, innovative approach and to enhance it in partnership with Beyond Blue.

Our investment in physical health and health literacy led to our Active8 and Peer Health Coaching programs producing outstanding results in both Western Sydney and the Illawarra region. By elevating the role of lived experience and focusing on healthy activities and behaviours, 95% of participants reported making progress on their physical health goals. In the coming year the capabilities of this programme will be integrated into our HASI services.

We were delighted to launch Connect to Wellbeing – North Coast. The intake and assessment service supports people of the North Coast to find the right mental health and alcohol and drug support. The service is a single point of contact for service users, carers, GPs, allied health professionals, and others who are seeking to access or refer people to support services. The service also worked with the North Coast PHN to produce a guide for people accessing the NDIS and resources to build the communities capacity to navigate the NDIS. The Team at Connect to Wellbeing North Coast also played a critical role in connecting victims of the Black Summer bushfires with much needed mental health support. I couldn't be more proud of the way the team demonstrated their commitment to community support in this difficult time, often whilst dealing directly with the personal threat of the fires.

As we move through 2020, we will continue to establish new services and models of care whilst seeking to improve our existing services to better meet the needs of consumers. The widescale implementation of the YES CMO survey will enable us to better understand the consumer experience of our service delivery.  

With a suite of excellent services addressing mental health, homelessness and suicide, we are excited at the prospect of transitioning to a more mobile and agile service structure during the coming year