We are transforming the service experience of LGBTQIA+ Victorians of all ages.
We are establishing new and improving existing services to ensure LGBTQIA+ people of all ages can access services that meet their needs, across service sectors including education, health and mental health, housing and homelessness, and justice.
We are increasing inclusivity in mainstream services and supporting community-controlled organisations to deliver affirming services
- We partnered with Rainbow Health Australia to deliver statewide How2 inclusion training to service organisations to make sure they are safe and trusted by the LGBTIQA+ community.
- We engaged education experts to update relationships, sexuality and consent education teaching and learning resources in Victorian schools so they are LGBTIQA+ inclusive. Consultation included the LGBTIQA+ Education Reference Group, a Koorie Working Group, teachers, students and parents.
- We are building the capacity and sustainability of the LGBTIQA+ community-led sector through the LGBTIQA+ Sector Strengthening program and the LGBTIQA+ Organisational Development Grants program. The Organisational Development Grants program has been delivered annually since 2016 and has supported more than 100 LGBTIQA+ organisations and groups to strengthen their internal operations and continue delivering services to LGBTIQA+ communities.
We are delivering tailored services designed to meet the needs of LGBTIQA+ people
- Family Safety Victoria is building the capacity of LGBTIQA+ community organisations to apply the Family Violence Multi-Agency Risk Assessment and Management (MARAM) Framework by funding Switchboard Victoria in 2022–23 to develop tailored initiatives to aid the implementation of MARAM.
- Switchboard’s Rainbow Door, Thorne Harbour Health, and Drummond Street Services are delivering specialist services, including Rainbow Door’s LGBTIQA+ helpline, to support to LGBTIQA+ victim survivors of family violence.
- We continued to deliver the Pride in Place program providing over 570 LGBTIQA+ people experiencing or at risk of homelessness with safe and inclusive and intersectional support. The program is delivered through a partnership between Drummond Street Services, Queerspace, VincentCare, Uniting and Family Access Network. Pride in Place also supported over 50 non-LGBTIQA+ specific services through secondary consultations and training events to deliver more inclusive support for LGBTIQA+ clients.
- Safe Schools delivered over 180 professional learning sessions to staff on supporting LGBTIQA+ students and responded to over 1,050 requests for assistance to support LGBTIQA+ students.
Case Study 2: Pride in Place is helping LGBTQIA+ people find safe and sustainable housing
Pride in Place offers LGBTQIA+ people experiencing or at risk of homelessness a safe and inclusive space to find housing and connect with support services they need. Pride in Place is delivered by VincentCare Victoria, Drummond Street Services in partnership with Uniting and Family Access Network.
Pride in Place helped Amelia, a transgender woman and refugee, overcome significant challenges. After fleeing her home country due to discrimination and violence based on her sexuality and gender identity, Amelia arrived in Australia feeling lost and unsure of how to navigate housing, employment, and community. Unfortunately, the initial housing situation Amelia found wasn't safe, she suffered violence, including exploitation, forced sex work, and had her identification stolen.
Amelia's story took a turn for the better when she found Pride in Place. After a referral from a health service, they connected her with safe and welcoming support. A dedicated service navigator at Pride in Place knew just who could help. They arranged for Amelia to meet with a Family Violence Case Manager at Queerspace, a program specifically designed for LGBTQIA+ people experiencing violence run by Drummond Street Services.
The case manager used a specialised family violence risk assessment framework, called MARAM, to understand Amelia's situation and the danger she faced. Together, Amelia, Pride in Place, and Queerspace worked as a team. They developed a plan to help Amelia leave her unsafe living situation safely. This included providing her with emergency accommodation, a crucial first step towards a brighter future.
From there, Pride in Place supported Amelia with a successful referral to a brand-new community housing build where she was offered a long-term lease. With the stability of housing now in place, Pride in Place's network provided her with help to find a counsellor to assist with processing past experiences. They also assisted her in navigating Centrelink and connected her with local LGBTIQA+ groups, fostering social connection and a sense of belonging.
Today, Amelia thrives in her new home. She has a supportive circle of friends for coffee dates and shared meals. She's secured employment and is saving to bring her mother to Australia for a visit. The fear and instability she once faced have been replaced by a newfound sense of autonomy and peace. In her own words, Amelia credits Pride in Place with saving her life.
We are supporting LGBTIQA+ to live the life they want by improving the effectiveness of health and wellbeing services
- We continued to roll out public fertility care services across Victoria to offer more people the chance to become parents, including LGBTIQA+ people who need donor or surrogacy services. Australia’s first public egg and sperm bank has also been established at the Royal Women’s Hospital and is accepting donations from the Victorian community.
- We continued to develop the Diverse Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Framework to improve and support the mental health and wellbeing of people from diverse communities by engaging LGBTIQA+ community members and organisations. We received over 100 survey responses, adding to the significant input of over 500 community members through consultations in 2022.
- We provided $4.2 million to 20 community-led organisations across Victoria that work with LGBTIQA+ communities, people with disability and multicultural communities through the 2023-25 Diverse Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Grants Program.
- We kicked off plans to scope a state-wide community-managed intersex Health and Wellbeing Centre to provide holistic, safe and co-designed lifelong care, education and peer-based support in a safe space and that is inclusive of virtual services to ensure regional access.
- We supported gender affirming care for around 1,000 people through the Trans and Gender Diverse in Community Health initiative which delivers two multidisciplinary clinics in Ballarat and Preston. We also delivered statewide training in gender affirming care for around 700 health practitioners including general practitioners, nurses, social workers, allied health and psychologists.
- We delivered a $900,000 package to eight organisations to provide vital mental health and support services including counselling and family therapy, referrals and peer support to transgender and gender diverse Victorians, their families and carers.
- We held roundtable discussions with groups disproportionately impacted by suicide, including LGBTQIA+ community sector providers and co-design workshops with people with lived and living experience of suicide, as part of the development of the new intersectional Victorian suicide prevention and response strategy 2024–34. We continued to deliver suicide prevention and response programs including peer support and LGBTIQA+ Aftercare programs.
Case Study 3: Supporting LGBTIQA+ mental health and wellbeing through the Diverse Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Grants Program
We are delivering a grants program for community-led organisations from diverse communities to support the mental health and wellbeing of LGBTIQA+ people, multicultural and multifaith communities, and people with disability.
The final report of the Royal Commission into Victoria's Mental Health System recognised the strength and knowledge of diverse community leaders and community-led organisations in understanding the mental health and wellbeing needs of their communities and supporting the delivery of safe, responsive and inclusive mental health services.
In 2023–24 and 2024–25, the Victorian Government will be providing $4.2 million for projects that will deliver an extensive range of programs, direct services, advocacy, research and workforce development to help create a more diverse and inclusive mental health and wellbeing system. Organisations supporting LGBTIQA+ people through the grants include:
- Candella: for trans and gender diverse people with psychosocial disabilities
- Flat Out: for trans and gender diverse people in custodial settings
- Sunbury and Cobaw Community Health: for older LGBTIQA+ people
- Three for All Foundation: for LGBTIQA+ refugees
- Youth Projects Limited: for LGBTIQA+ youth with disabilities
This builds on the 2021–22 and 2022–23 grants, which established the foundations of the grants program and supported diverse communities to engage in mental health reforms. Organisations supporting LGBTIQA+ people in 2021–22 and 2022–23 included:
- Thorne Harbour Health: for amplifying LGBTIQA+ Voices
- Switchboard: for developing a national lived experience network and growing the Suicide Prevention Program
- Drummond Street Services: for improving intersectional practice
- Drummond Street Services: for an affirming mentoring internship program
- Minus18: for building workshop capacity and capability of Minus18 workshop facilitators to better support LGBTQIA+ young people
- Thorne Harbour Health: for raising awareness of mental health issues experienced by LGBTIQA+ community members from multicultural and multifaith communities.
Find out more about the Department of Health's Diverse Communities Grants Program
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