Mental health funding boost at Yacaaba Centre in Nelson Bay

The department has approved a $160,000 grant, an increase of $42,000 on the 2021 funding which had originally been announced as a "short-term" grant.

"This is great news for our service and for the wider Port Stephens community. The increased funding has allowed us to continue to open five days a week, to continue to employ our client liaison officers and to increase our counselling hours," said centre manager Louise Simpson.

"We are most grateful to the Health Department for the continued support."

Ms Simpson said that there was a clear need for continued support for mental health around the Tomaree peninsula and that the 2021 short-term grant had allowed them to provide professional counselling for people with mental health concerns.

"[The funding] has further eased the burden on other local services such as GPs, Newcastle Mental Health Service, and local psychologists. As the centre is the only free adult mental health service in the area, we are able to provide psychosocial support to a range of demographics," she said.

"Without further funding the centre would not be able to support the current demand of clients. This would further increase the pressure on other local health services and be detrimental for the community. We are committed to continue to provide and expand our mental health services to the local community."

The Yacaaba Centre was established in 1989 as a women's only information and counselling service that was not able to advertise its location for the safety of its clients.

In the last 30 years the centre has evolved into what it is today, a prominent 'hub' providing services to the community including the most vulnerable and isolated members.

"Our clients now consist of men, women and school aged children from all backgrounds and demographics," Ms Simpson said.

"We are the only centre of its kind on the peninsula and the demand for our services is consistent. Our mission is to provide counselling support, information, and advocacy for our clients, enabling them to develop strategies to sustain physical and psychological well-being."

She said that there was a tremendous need for mental health services in Port Stephens. "Over the past two years we have seen an increase in mental health presentations to our service, particularly in anxiety, depression, and feelings of isolation.

"This increase aligns with the recent 2020-21 statistics National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) which shows 15 per cent of Australians have experienced high or very high levels of psychological distress. Furthermore 15 per cent of Australians reported they felt lonely in the previous four weeks."

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