Community Living Supports (CLS)

Community Living Supports (CLS) is a state-wide program that supports people with a severe mental illness to live and recover in the community in the way that they want to. CLS is part of a suite of community-based psychosocial programs for adults called the NSW Mental Health Community Living Programs.

The program began in 2016 to help more people live in the community with the type of support provided under the Housing and Accommodation Support Initiative (HASI).

What types of supports are provided?

People receiving CLS supports will work with:

a support worker from a community organisation
a clinician of their choice or from a local mental health service, and
their family or other important people in their life to develop their own unique support plan.

CLS provides psychosocial supports that help people build independence in daily life and contribute to recovery. The types of support people receive depends on their individual needs and own unique goals for what they want to achieve. CLS helps people identify goals and work towards meeting those goals by providing support that may include:

daily living skills like self care, shopping, looking after finances, cooking or catching public transport
referral to mental and physical health services where needed and support with mental and physical health appointments, medication management and other treatments
participating in social, leisure or sporting activities
building relationships with family, friends and the local communities
learning new skills
accessing education or help to get a job
help with finding and keeping housing including private or social/communitiy housing
moving back into the community from a hospital or a prison
accessing other supports like alcohol and other drugs services and the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).

How much support can I get it?

The amount of CLS support you can receive is flexible and can change over time to meet your needs. When things are going well, you may only need a few hours of support a week, but there may be times when you are finding things are difficult or distressing, and it would be helpful to get more support.

Do I get housing as part of the program?

Accommodation is not provided as part of the CLS program and you are not automatically eligible for public or community housing because you are receiving CLS supports. CLS can provide support to help you find or keep your housing. This can include helping you apply for housing with the Department of Communities and Justice.

Am I eligible for CLS?

You may be eligible for CLS support if you:

are 16 years or older
have a diagnosis of a mental illness which causes you a lot of difficulties in your day to day life
want to receive help to develop and achieve your goals.

Your local provider can give you more information about the criteria for the program.

Are there any target groups for the program?

When there are limited places available in CLS, priority will be given to people based on the severity of their illness, circumstances or needs. This can include people from target groups who:

are Aboriginal
are refugees or asylum seekers
live in public or community housing, or a boarding house
are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless
are at risk of being hospitalised
are in hospital for longer than needed because of their high support needs
need help keeping their housing because they need more support to manage their mental health issues
are leaving a correctional facility or in contact with the community justice system, such as being on parole or serving a community-based detention order
qualify as a local priority group as agreed in each region.

HASI/CLS Evaluation 2022

The Ministry commissioned the Social Policy Research Centre (SPRC) at UNSW to evaluate the HASI/CLS programs. The 3-year longitudinal evaluation ran from November 2017 to January 2020, with final analysis completed in 2021.

HASI started in 2002 and has been running for over 20 years. The evaluation results show that HASI and CLS are making a real difference to people's lives. There is evidence that the programs help people to improve their mental health and wellbeing, think about their physical health, connect more with their local community and to reduce hospitalisations because of their mental health. We are very proud of the achievements of the HASI and CLS programs.

Where can I get more information about the program?

Your local CLS provider is able to provide you with more information about CLS, including how to access or refer someone into the program.

You can contact your local CLS provider using the below contact information. If you are unsure about which local health district you are in, further information can be found at Local Health Districts and Specialty Networks.