The Lived Experience Residential Service will be Victoria’s first peer-led mental health service providing short-term care and support in a home-like setting.
Once open in 2026, the free service will be available to people aged 18 years or older who need support with mental health issues. They can stay at the site for a few days or for up to three weeks.
Opening as a trial, the service will offer eight beds across two houses on the one site. The residence will first open with four beds in early 2026, with all eight beds expected to be available by mid-2026.
Highly skilled lived experience peer workers from Mind Australia will operate the service. They will provide a range of evidence-informed, peer-led supports and services.
This includes connecting people to longer-term support or clinical services, in partnership with Barwon Health.
The mental health system is stronger when people with lived and living experience are at the helm. Their insight and expertise are critical to creating care that is person-led, recovery-focused, and inclusive.
The Lived Experience Residential Service is an innovative new service offering, providing an alternative to hospital-based care for people experiencing high levels of distress.
This model offers clinicians and referrers an additional, evidence-informed option for people who may not benefit from a hospital stay,
Once it’s fully operational, the service will be evaluated to guide the future expansion of peer-led services across the state.
Led by Mind Australia, the service has been codesigned by people with significant lived and living experience expertise, in partnership with Alfred Mental and Addiction Health.
This new service responds to the Royal Commission’s recommendation for a peer-led residential model, designed by and for people with lived experience.
Reviewed 17 September 2025
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