The power of empathy: mental health and housing

Share

Mental health and housing instability are deeply interconnected. For many Australians, living with mental health issues can increase the risk of experiencing homelessness. 

Mental health and homelessness are interrelated. In 2022-23, over 273,600 people received assistance from specialist homelessness services. Approximately 37% of those people also reported living with mental health issues.¹ Learn more about homelessness and mental health.

How lived experience helps people facing mental health challenges

‘Lived experience’ involves applying and sharing personal knowledge and first-hand experiences. For people like Ash, a Mission Australia Peer Support Worker, lived experience helps her connect with others, allowing her to offer support grounded in real understanding and empathy.

Through Mission Australia's Housing Accommodation Support Initiative (HASI) program*, Ash helps individuals find and maintain safe, stable homes. She works closely with people on their recovery journey, helping them rebuild their confidence and reclaim their lives.

Meet Ash, a Peer Worker at Mission Australia. She draws upon her lived experience of overcoming mental health challenges to assist and support others. Ash works alongside people on their mental health recovery and supports them to find a safe place to call home.

Working with people who live with mental health issues, Ash shares her lived experience and builds trust, empowers others, and helps them see that they’re not alone.

Ash listens without judgement, offers encouragement, empowerment and builds trusting relationships.

When someone knows what it’s like to walk in your shoes, their guidance becomes more relatable, comforting, and impactful. This shared experience helps break down barriers, builds trust, and empowers those in need to believe in the possibility of recovery.

Ash’s story is a powerful reminder that with the right support, recovery is possible. By embracing empathy and peer support, we can transform lives, one person at a time.

*Funded by NSW Health, programs like HASI make a real difference by reducing hospital admissions and helping individuals secure housing.

¹AIHW (2023) Specialist homelessness services annual report 2022-23