The ALIVE National Centre is proud to present the next instalment of Ready, Set, Translate: The ALIVE Mental Health Research Virtual Café Translation Conversations, on Thursday 24 August, 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM AEST.

The conversation will be hosted by the Next Generation Researcher Network, and will feature Laura Hayes and Nicola Ballenden speaking on the topic Haven Homes – Long-term Housing with Support for People with Significant Mental Health and Wellbeing Concerns.

The Haven Foundation – integrated social housing and support services provide people who have significant mental health and wellbeing concerns with long-term housing and 24/7 support from onsite staff. Mind Australia manages these residences in partnership with community housing provider The Haven Foundation – a subsidiary of Mind. Laura and Nicola will present on some findings around client experience and outcomes, how the model is adapted as it is implemented in different communities, and how the haven communities at each site develop over time.

About the speakers:

Dr Laura Hayes has expertise across a range of psychosocial interventions, such as supported housing, that can underpin recovery. She also has an interest in family and carer inclusion including family psychoeducational approaches supporting consumer and carer wellbeing. Laura has a long term interest in program evaluation and program logic approaches to outcomes mapping. She has driven the design, digitisation and delivery of an outcome measurement initiative across Mind creating evidence for key impacts from Mind services.

Nicola has held senior leadership roles across the not for profit sector, providing research, policy, service development and strategic communications expertise in health, welfare and homelessness organisations including the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine, the Brotherhood of St Laurence and Launch Housing. Earlier in her career, Nicola spent time in policy roles with the Commonwealth Government and the Australian Consumers Association (CHOICE). She is passionate about using research and evidence to measure impact, build better mental health services and to influence the policy process. She has a MA from the University of Melbourne and a Masters in Public Health from the University of New South Wales.