Page 3628 - Week 11 - Thursday, 16 November 2006
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housed and supported 63 men, with each client receiving intensive care management for the duration of their stay.
When a client is assessed for independent living and wishes to remain in their accommodation, Housing ACT facilitates the transfer of tenancy from the Canberra Men’s Centre directly to the client’s name. This enables the client to sustain long-term accommodation and assists the MASS outreach service to maintain consistent contact. The program operates seven days a week, 24 hours a day, with call-out provisions.
A 1800 number has also been implemented for use by MASS clients and is also available 24/7. This service provides access to case managers or to the Canberra Men’s Centre intake counsellor. Of course, this service reduces the risk of participants in the program experiencing a crisis.
The other services offered by the Canberra Men’s Centre include counselling for men with their partners and families; anger management programs; men’s peer support group; transitional case management for people living in Ainslie Village and seeking to move to mainstream accommodation; individual case management for men with complex support needs; and an information and referral service.
The Canberra Men’s Centre is to be congratulated on the provision of their coordinated and holistic approach towards men’s issues. The Canberra Men’s Centre and MASS now receive over $680,000 a year from the Stanhope government to support its service provision.
The Stanhope government has recognised that there is a need for responsive, specialist and professional services for men and has significantly grown the capacity of the sector. One only needs to look at the range of men’s services operating in the ACT and supported by the Stanhope government to see the commitment this government has to recognising and responding to the specific needs of men.
Whilst at yesterday’s launch I had the opportunity to meet one of the clients, who told me how helpful MASS had been in getting his life back on track. This man has served time in a New South Wales prison. When released, he had no support in the community other than that provided by the MASS program. He told me that had the service not existed, he had no idea what his future may have been. With the support of MASS he is now optimistic about his future.
During our discussion the conversation turned to the Maconochie correctional centre. The man told me he believes that the design of the new complex and the emphasis on rehabilitation and life skills is far more likely to produce a positive outcome than institutions that prisoners currently occupy in New South Wales. He also indicated to me that being able to see family members on a more regular basis would also assist in rehabilitation, as the likelihood of family support on release will be greater if the relationship is able to be maintained as a result of continued contact.
The Stanhope government is taking a progressive and innovative approach and response to many of the social issues we experience in our modern society. I am proud to be a member of a government that does not seek simplistic answers to complex problems.
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