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Housing and Support Program (HASP): Final Evaluation Report

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4.2.8 Amount of support required in the future<br />

Clients were asked to think about the amount of<br />

support they currently receive from their support<br />

workers <strong>and</strong> indicate the amount of support they<br />

would require in the next 12 months. The options<br />

were ‘more support’, ‘less support’ or the ‘same<br />

amount of support’. The responses are summarised<br />

in the graph below.<br />

Fig. 4.2.5 Perceptions of support required<br />

in the future<br />

Percent<br />

50<br />

40<br />

30<br />

20<br />

10<br />

0<br />

More<br />

Same<br />

Amount of support in future<br />

Less<br />

Over one-third (37%) indicated that they would require<br />

more support in the next 12 months, while almost<br />

one-fi fth (19%) felt that they would require the same<br />

level of support that they currently receive. However,<br />

over 40% felt that they would require less support in<br />

the future.<br />

4.2.9 Client perceptions of non-clinical<br />

support services<br />

Clients were very satisfi ed by the support services<br />

provided by the NGO sector. They felt that their<br />

success in community living was, in part, attributed<br />

to their support agency. There was a perception that<br />

support agencies encouraged clients to participate<br />

in community activities:<br />

Since my last time in hospital, I’ve been here [in<br />

own home] for two years now, I haven’t had a<br />

hospitalisation yet, <strong>and</strong> there was one year I was in<br />

hospital nine times. I was pretty lost <strong>and</strong> since then,<br />

being involved with [XX support agency], they pushed<br />

me along, to get back…got me back to being involved<br />

in the community, be my friend, <strong>and</strong> helping me feel<br />

a lot better about my life now.<br />

Male consumer<br />

It is clear that while support workers assist clients<br />

with a number of activities necessary for daily living,<br />

they also provide social support to many clients:<br />

No I wouldn’t be able to do it without the support<br />

workers. Just the social interaction, like having a<br />

cuppa, talking about the day’s events <strong>and</strong> what I’m<br />

doing for the next week. Even to just watch a DVD<br />

or share a meal it’s just the social side of it… Yeah…<br />

So that’s very important.<br />

Female consumer<br />

4.2.10 Case Manager perceptions<br />

of non-clinical support services<br />

Case Managers were appreciative of the support<br />

provided by the NGO sector. There was a perception<br />

that <strong>HASP</strong> in general, <strong>and</strong> the input from support<br />

workers in particular, had resulted in a more stable<br />

lifestyle for clients. Refl ecting on the benefi ts of the<br />

program, a Case Manager detailed how <strong>HASP</strong> had<br />

assisted one of his clients:<br />

It seems to take a signifi cant load off, because<br />

the client is a much more stable, gets an awful lot<br />

of input from the NGO that is working with him…<br />

they put a lot of work in with training, job training<br />

<strong>and</strong> social skills training, the client has actually<br />

gone from someone who was an alcoholic, drugusing<br />

street person, to someone who is settled in<br />

a unit, <strong>and</strong> is going out regularly to a place where<br />

he is doing some proper type work, cut down on<br />

the alcohol, got rid of the drugs, cleaned himself<br />

up, so that takes away a lot of stuff, we’d normally<br />

be chasing him, he’s on a depot, <strong>and</strong> he comes<br />

in on the dot, every two weeks, instead of being<br />

chased all around the place, it’s vastly improved his<br />

lifestyle, <strong>and</strong> the way he mixes in the community,<br />

he’s got much more stuff he does outside now, than<br />

he used to, so I think it’s good.<br />

Case Manager<br />

<strong>Housing</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Support</strong> <strong>Program</strong> (<strong>HASP</strong>)<br />

41

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