Perth Voice Interactive

A DOORKNOCKING program to check in with people’s mental health and hook them up with help is rolling out in Stirling.

Dubbed the ACDC project (Assisting Communities through Direct Connection), the door-to-door outreach is funded by the Commonwealth Department of Social Services and is trying to reach areas and people who might not know what free or low-cost help is available, or who are kept away by wait times, costs, or lack of transport.

Immigrants who don’t speak English as a first language are less likely to seek help when they need it.

James McKechnie from Community Mental Health Australia says, “there are community-based support services funded to offer support to those who need it, but we have found that a lot of people are not aware of the support that is available.”

So far the doorknockers have gone door-to-door in Beechboro and Ballajura last year and started with the Stirling suburbs of Mirrabooka, Nollamara, and Westminster in July.

While the direct method may sound confronting they’ve had a decent response: National data from the first trial showed 34 per cent of people answered the door, and 52 per cent of those were happy to have a conversation.

They’re also collecting stats on service gaps and where more funding’s needed.

Danyelle Greyling is from Sudbury Community House, the group doing the doorknocking in Stirling. 

She says so far they’ve seen “that there is a significant portion of the CALD [Culturally and Linguistically Diverse] community who do not access support because the language barriers reduce their confidence and capacity to explore options.

“The elderly are still expressing serious concerns about COVID and a reluctance to leave their house.”

The most common concerns people mentioned affecting mental health related to isolation, financial stress from the rising cost of living, and poor physical health. A surprisingly large number of people surveyed in the first trial said the weight of climate change worry was a psychological stressor, with 23 per cent describing it as a “large” problem or challenge in their lives. 

by DAVID BELL