What policy approaches are needed to ensure that people with psychiatric disabilities have access to appropriate housing?
Sam Battams
Flinders University of South Australia
Contact Email:   sam.battamsflinders.edu.au

This paper is based on research which considered policy processes leading to housing outcomes for people with psychiatric disabilities. It examined both intersectoral collaboration between the mental health and housing sectors, and community participation processes leading to housing outcomes. The South Australian mental health reform period (2000-2005) was used as a case study. Qualitative research methods were employed and triangulated across four stages which included; a thematic analysis of national and state policies in the health, housing and disability sectors, interviews, focus groups and participant observation with state level NGOs, interviews and focus group with consumer groups and interviews with professionals from the health, housing and disability sectors. There were 91 participants, including 39 in interviews and focus groups and 52 in participant observation stages. The study pinpointed a number of barriers to ensuring appropriate housing outcomes for people with psychiatric disability, including the neo-liberal policy context, a lack of coordination across policy sectors and services, ongoing public sector reform and resistance to deinstitutionalisation. The focus of this presentation is upon policy responses to promote positive housing outcomes. These include strategies for intersectoral collaboration for policy agenda setting and implementation, addressing community stigma, tackling professional resistance to mental health reform, developing advocacy alliances, providing housing models which address social isolation, and challenging medical discourses on disability.

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