The ACMENA Team with Jay (far right)
For twenty years ACMENA house, a community sub-acute unit of the Metro South Addiction and Mental Health Service (MSAMHS) has been providing a safe place for people experiencing mental health challenges to recover, rebuild confidence and reconnect with everyday life.
Unlike an inpatient unit, ACMENA provides a short-term, home-like residential environment where people remain connected with their treating community team while receiving additional support to work towards their personalised recovery goals.
ACMENA Team Leader Jay Nair said the service was about more than managing symptoms.
“What I really like about ACMENA is that it gives us the opportunity to work with people in a different way,” Jay said.
“We get to work alongside people on the practical things that help them move forward in life.
“I have seen consumers come in with very little confidence and then leave with a clearer plan, more independence and a belief that they can manage things at home.”
The value of the service is reflected in growing demand, with referrals increasing from 172 in 2023 to 246 in 2025.
The five-bed service provides brief psychosocial interventions and education, while also helping people stay connected to their local communities and avoid the social isolation that can accompany mental illness.
Over the years, consumers have described ACMENA as a “home away from home”, a “peaceful place to heal” and “a place that changes lives”.
Other feedback has included:
- “Helped regain my independence.”
- “Gave me the skills to move forward.”
- “Showed me a better way to live.”
- “Within a few days I felt better than I have in years.”
- “I started eating three meals a day again.”
Behind the service is a dedicated medical team, including an enrolled nurse on duty 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
For Jay, ACMENA’s 20th anniversary is an opportunity to recognise the many people who have contributed to its success over the years.
“Twenty years is a great opportunity to acknowledge everyone who has contributed to ACMENA over that time,” he said.
“I particularly want to acknowledge the previous team leaders and staff who have helped build the service into what it is today. We are standing on the work of people who have been here before us, and it is important that we recognise that.
“I think the next 20 years are just as exciting. We want ACMENA to continue to be a place where people feel safe, respected and supported, but also a place that helps people move forward.
“If we can continue helping people recover, build independence and return to their lives and communities, then we are doing what ACMENA has always been about.”