A landmark report highlighting the success of community-based care in recovery from mental illness was launched today in Sydney.

Minister for Mental Health Tanya Davies joined the NSW Mental Health Commissioner to launch the report on the Pathways to Community Living Initiative (PCLI) at the State Library.

The PCLI focuses on finding accommodation for 380 people in NSW with severe and persistent mental illness who have been an inpatient in a mental health unit for 12 months or more.

“The NSW Liberals and Nationals have acted to rectify the former Labor Government’s broad over-reliance on hospitals to provide mental health care. A hospital is not a home, but many people with a mental illness have been living their lives in hospital in NSW,” Mrs Davies said.

“That is why the NSW Government invested in the PCLI to support people with severe and enduring mental illness to move into suitable community care.

“Already, this fantastic program has seen many elderly people who had been in hospital for over 20 years, now moving into supported accommodation, in their own rooms, with gardens and courtyards, enjoying a range of activities with friends and family.”

NSW Mental Health Commissioner Catherine Lourey said the Paving the Way Home - Lessons from My Choice: Pathways to Community Living Initiative report charts the first few years of this major reform program.

“The report shows how expert and collaborative team work can help people to live in the community, and I look forward to hearing more positive stories as the initiative continues.”

PCLI responds to recommendations made in Living Well: A Strategic Plan for Mental Health in NSW 2014-2024 to increase the availability of community mental health services and provide community-based alternatives to long-stay hospital care.

In the 2018-19 State Budget, the NSW Government committed a record $2.1 billion for mental health services and community mental health supports.