The Mental Illness Fellowship is Victoria’s leading community membership based, not-for-profit organisation, working with people with mental illness and their families to improve their wellbeing. It operates in the Psychiatric Disability Rehabilitation and Support (PDRS) Sector.

The PDRS Sector is designed to support people who, as a consequence of their mental illness, develop psychiatric disabilities and require assistance to regain or develop skills to live in the community, to be socially connected and to participate in community activity. These supports are provided through five major programs; day programs, respite, residential rehabilitation, home based and accommodation support, and mutual support and self help.

The Mental Illness Fellowship began its life on the 10th November 1977 when four families met to discuss the development of an organisation to ‘promote the welfare of schizophrenia sufferers and their families’. On the 28th February 1978 a public meeting was held to identify interest, which was attended by over 200 people. John O'Meara, who was to become the first President of the organisation, was surprised at the level of response to the meeting and said: 'What we found there were other people with the same problem, we forgot about the anger part, and were looking forward to help and hope for the future. There was also a feeling of incredulity - are we all in the same boat?' A second meeting some weeks later formally established the Schizophrenia Fellowship of Victoria and in July of the same year the organisation held its first annual general meeting. During this year the first family support groups were established and quickly multiplied.

The Schizophrenia Fellowship established the first Schizophrenia Awareness Week in May 1979, and developed a consumer support group in Fitzroy. This was extended in 1980 when the Saturday afternoon consumer activity group, and group homes in Ballarat and Camberwell were established. 1981 saw our first Op Shop established, as well as a $25,000 Government grant to employ an organisational Director and Secretary.

Between the years 1982 - 1990 the Schizophrenia Fellowship established: the Schizophrenia Australia Foundation, later to become known as Sane Australia, and developed links with the World Schizophrenia Fellowship. More support groups were set up across the state, as well as community education with Rotary, police and schools. Respite services were run for families at Blickle Farm in country Gisborne and the Residential Rehabilitation started at Rossdale in St. Kilda. The first Clubhouse (a combined psychosocial and employment program) in Australia at Bromham Place, Richmond and a housing project in Ripponlea.

These eight years were critical to the development of the Mental Illness Fellowship as they set a solid foundation for the next 12 years, during which time the organisation set out on a solid path of growth and development. A new government in the early 1990's changed the speed and approach to the development of community mental health services in the State of Victoria, and saw the rapid development of the Psychiatric Disability and Support Sector (PDSS).

This non-clinical support and rehabilitation sector was supported to develop Residential Rehabilitation, Day Programs, Respite, Home Based and Accommodation and Support and Mutual Support and Self Help programs across the state. The Schizophrenia Fellowship successfully tendered for these new programs in 1996. Since then the organisation has continued to develop and build the number of services for people with a mental illness, their families and friends.

In 2000 the membership voted to change the name of the organisation to the Mental Illness Fellowship Victoria to better reflect the work of this organisation. Mental Illness Fellowship is a membership organisation, driven by a constitution, the purposes of which have changed little from its inception. Each member of Mental Illness Fellowship is a single person who is committed to our vision.

Our vision is of a society in which mental illness will be understood and accepted. People with mental illnesses will be afforded the same regard as those with a physical illness and resources will be available to offer early interventions and state of the art treatment and support. These interventions will be so effective that long-term negative consequences of mental illness will have disappeared for the person and their family. People will no longer experience stigma and society will treat them with the same respect and dignity as any other person, and welcome and fully include them as community members.

Advocacy and direct community action remains a hallmark of the Mental Illness Fellowship. Today our membership is over 1,300 people and growing.

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