‘We are drowning’: Sam doesn’t have mental illness, yet he’s living in a psych ward

26-year-old Sam Mogford, who has Huntington’s disease – a neurodegenerative disease with no cure – has spent the past two years living in the psychiatric ward at Sunshine Hospital. But he doesn’t need inpatient mental health care.

A severe shortage in housing suitable for Victorians with “complex needs” – people who need considerable social and health support – means hundreds of the state’s most vulnerable people, including those with an intellectual disability, have no option but to live in psychiatric wards, short-stay hotel units and boarding houses.

Their families and advocates say it’s a full-blown crisis.

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Topics:
Housing

Author:
Miki Perkins

Source:
The Age

Date published:
Thu 7th Mar, 2019