![Ross Tully Ross Tully](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/173106531/3451fce7-8144-4f75-a86d-b858f568ff84.jpg/r0_224_4390_2692_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
A sense of community is at the core of the latest housing project in Ballarat which supports residents living with mental illness.
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The group of 16 homes in Redan will be run by The Haven Foundation.
They have 24/7 support for residents and are expected to be completed by September, with more on the way due to additional government funding.
Ross Tully, a former resident at a similar haven in Laverton, said the program helped him become a part of a community.
"My particular illness wants to keep me isolated from everyone," he said.
"It doesn't want me to be part of a community."
Mr Tully said originally, the thought of entering into the community "freaked him out", but slowly he was able to participate.
"I began to thaw out and I trusted that they cared enough about me and my journey in recovery," he said.
![State government housing minister Colin Brooks. Picture by Adam Trafford. State government housing minister Colin Brooks. Picture by Adam Trafford.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/173106531/8e5118e2-ec0d-40ef-a9c3-5f20b5ea750d.jpg/r0_0_4620_3075_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Each day there would be different activities residents could participate in - Mr Tully said yoga and meditations, cooking classes and movie groups were some of the highlights.
He said some on days he wouldn't feel up to the interactions, and others wouldn't push.
"Other people that have mental illness understand you ... you don't have to talk about anxiety or depression or trauma or any of these things," Mr Tully said.
"It's an unwritten energy between two people that they know each other."
State government housing minister Colin Brooks was in Ballarat on Thursday to announce an additional $85 million in grants to be spent on similar-style homes to support people living with a mental illness.
Royal Commission into Victoria's Mental Health System recommended more than 2000 homes for people living with a mental illness.
Mr Brooks said they were going to deliver on this by building 500 homes as part of this Big Housing Build and 1500 through the Victorian Housing Register.
He said it was expected 214 new homes would be built with the additional money announced.
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Mental health service provider "Mind" runs the The Haven Foundation.
Chief executive Gill Callister said people were typically referred to the service and they were currently working on filling the Ballarat spaces.
"We work with the local mental health service, we work with the NDIA and we work with community housing organisations and family groups," she said.
"Family are encouraged, like everybody, family is an important part of recovery, staying well and having connection."
Ms Callister said these kinds of properties were unique because they combined independent living with support and community.
"If people want to stay separate and manage completely independently, they can," she said.
"But what most people do is want a bit of both - they want time as part of a peer community and they want to access the staff who are here."
Support is available for those who may be distressed. Phone Lifeline 13 11 14; beyondblue 1300 224 636.
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