By CASEY NEILL
A NEW headspace centre in Dandenong is offering the area’s 125,000 young people mental health and wellbeing support.
It’s in the former Savers store at 196 Lonsdale Street and officially opened on Monday.
The organisation’s CEO Chris Tanti said headspace centres around Australia had helped thousands of young people get their lives back on track since 2006.
“The new centre will extend the important early intervention work of headspace into this growing region,” he said.
“The centre will provide someone else to talk to for young people struggling with things like depression, anxiety, bullying, and relationship problems.”
Services are for 12 to 25-year-olds and target mental health support and counselling, general health and sexual health, education, employment and vocation, and alcohol and other drugs.
Mr Tanti said the decision to locate a headspace centre in Dandenong was based on a range of factors including, community need, population size and growth.
“Melbourne’s south east, centred around Dandenong, has one of the largest youth populations in Australia,” he said.
“With high pockets of social disadvantage, rurality and rapid growth, the City of Greater Dandenong has been ranked as one of the most disadvantaged urban areas in Australia.
South Eastern Melbourne Medicare Local CEO Anne Peek said health services had been anxious to get a headspace centre in Dandenong for several years.
“The aim is for the centre to be a ‘hub’ for young people in the region co-ordinating services and support to prevent young people from falling through the gaps,” she said.
“Young people will get the privacy of a traditional health service but in a youth-friendly environment they will be comfortable in.”
She said the centre would reach out to the culturally diverse communities in Melbourne’s south east and venture into community groups, schools and health centres.
The centre is part of the Federal Government’s $200 million investment to establish 90 new headspace services across Australia.
Mental Health Minister Mark Butler at the opening said that 92 per cent of young people had reported improvements in their mental health after using the headspace service.
“We know that one in four young people will experience a mental health issue this year, making it the single biggest issue facing young Australians,” he said.
“However, three-quarters of these people aren’t receiving the professional help they need because of a lack of access to youth-specific mental health services or because they don’t know who to turn to.”
Young people in need can call the centre on 1800 FOR YOU (1800 367 968) or drop in from 8am to 4pm Mondays, 11.30am to 7.30pm Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10am to 6pm Wednesdays and Fridays and 10am to 2.30pm Saturdays.
