Useful contacts for supported residential services

Aged care

Aged Care Assessment Services (ACAS)

Call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422

Council on the Ageing (COTA)

Not-for-profit organisation representing the interests and rights of people aged over 50 in Victoria.

Call 1300 13 50 90

Email askcota@cotavic.org.au

Health services

ARBIAS

Support services for people with an acquired brain injury, particularly alcohol and other drug-related brain injury.

27 Hope Street, Brunswick, Vic, 3056

Call (03) 8388 1222

Email enquiriesVIC@arbias.com.au

Community health services

Victoria's network of community health services deliver a range of primary health, human services and community-based support to meet local community needs. This includes services such as social work and counselling, podiatry, community nursing, physiotherapy and occupational therapy.

Find your nearest community health centre on the Human Services Directory or in your Yellow Pages telephone directory under ‘community health’.

Dental Health Services Victoria

Information on accessing dental care through your closest public dental clinic.

Call 1300 360 054

Health Complaints Commissioner

Help for consumers who have a problem with a health service or concerns about their health privacy.

570 Bourke Street, Melbourne 3000

Call 1300 582 113

Nurse on call

Health advice 24 hours a day, for the cost of a local call from anywhere in Victoria (calls from mobile phones may be charged at a higher rate).

Call 1300 60 60 24

Financial and income support

Centrelink (Services Australia)

Disability, sickness and carer payments: call 132 717

Aged pension and other payments for older adults: call 132 300

State Trustees

Trustee, executor, and personal financial administration products and services, in conjunction with the Victorian Government’s wholly owned subsidiary, STL Financial Services.

168 Exhibition Street, Melbourne

Call 1300 138 672

Housing

Community Connections Program (CCP)

Support for people who are homeless, at risk of homelessness or living in low-cost accommodation, including pension-level SRS, to help them access appropriate services.

Housing for the Aged Action Group (HAAG)

Free, confidential advice to older people about housing.

Call (03) 9654 7389

intake@oldertenants.org.au

Disability

Disability Intake and Response Service

Information about community supports and services for people with a disability, their carers and families.

Call 1800 783 783

Headway

Consumer organisation for people with an acquired brain injury.

212 King Street, Melbourne 3000

Call (03) 9482 2955

Victorian Advocacy League for Individuals with a Disability (VALID)

Disability advocacy organisation for people with an intellectual disability.

235 Napier Street, Fitzroy 3065

Call (03) 9416 4003 or 1800 655 570 (country callers)

Guardianship List at Victorian Civil and Administrative Appeals Tribunal (VCAT)

Protection for persons aged 18 years or over who, as result of a disability, are unable to make reasonable decisions about their person or circumstances, or their financial and legal affairs.

55 King Street Melbourne 3000

Call (03) 9628 9911 or 1300 079 413 (country callers only)

Mental health services

Victoria’s public mental health services provide help for young people, adults, and older people. View more information on Better Health's Mental health services and programs explained.

Psychiatric Disability Services of Victoria (VICSERV)

Peak body representing community managed mental health services in Victoria.

Call (03) 9519 7000

Victorian Mental Illness Awareness Council (VMIAC)

Consumer/advocacy group for people with mental health problems.

Call (03) 9380 3900

Supported residential services

Community Visitors Program (Office of the Public Advocate)

Volunteer community visitors who are appointed under the Supported Residential Services (Private Proprietors) Act 2010 to query the standard of SRS facilities and care provided to residents, and to receive and follow up residents’ complaints.

Level 1, 204 Lygon Street, Carlton 3053

Call 1300 309 337 (local call)

Neighbourhood houses

A range of recreational, social support and adult learning programs.

Call (03) 9654 1104

Veterans' Affairs

Pensions, benefits and health services for veterans and widows or widowers.

Call 1800 555 254 (1800 VETERAN)