Independent Community Living Australia (ICLA) has commissioned contractors to start the refurbishment work on New South Wales’ first non-clinical suicide prevention and recovery centre (SPARC) located in Bondi.
The Australian Government is providing seed investment of $1.25 million towards the project, which is developing and trialing a new service providing support and care in a homelike environment for people from the local community experiencing suicidality.
ICLA has partnered with Roses in the Ocean. They will lead the co-design of the model and provide training to peer workers providing 24-7 care and support. Pro-bono partner Grosvenor is delivering electrical, fire and hard technical building services.
Rebecca Kuhnert, General Manager of Quality Outcomes and Evaluation at ICLA says the project will provide much-needed care and support to people experiencing suicidality.
“We are very excited about the potential of this project to deliver a welcoming and supportive place that makes a real difference to people’s lives. There has been a lot of talk over the last 30 years about what needs to happen to prevent suicide. We’re proud to be getting on with the job of delivering services and support that fill a much-needed gap.
“However, there is always more that we can be doing and we welcome the support of anyone interested in suicide prevention who want to make a difference. This includes pro-bono contributions from the business community and the generous support of local volunteers. Every little bit counts.”
Sharon Weedon, National HR Manger at Grosvenor Engineering Group said, “This is a unique opportunity to partner with a program that offers people in crisis with quality care and support in a comfortable homelike environment, designed specifically for recovery.
“We have staff at Grosvenor who have experienced suicidal crises or family members who have.
They have told us that a less clinical service would have been beneficial to achieve a better outcome. We believe in and support this model of care and look forward to working with ICLA as they expand the SPARC model across Australia.”
She added, “Grosvenor’s partnership with ICLA is our way of giving back and having a tangible impact on the wider community as well as taking an interest in broader social issues. SPARC’s focus on suicide prevention aligns with Grosvenor’s proactive business service approach.”
About Independent Community Living Australia
For more than 30 years, Independent Community Living Australia (ICLA) has been supporting people with mental and physical health challenges to live independently, in a safe home, and feel part of the community. We do this by:
For more information visit icla.org.au.
