Our Vision:
To provide respite to carers through quality supported accomodation for those affected by a mental illness
Raising and administering funds to provide long and short term supported accommodation for families affected by mental illness and to promote awareness, understanding and assistance in removing the stigma associated with this condition.
Our Mission
To raise sufficient funds for our vision to become a reality
We understand first hand the difficulties and challenges experienced by carers and people suffering from a mental illness.
The Believe Foundation will strive to fund the establishment and ongoing costs of providing quality long and short term supported accommodation for sufferers of mental illnesses, thereby providing respite to their carers.
As part of our commitment to the betterment of the lives of those affected by mental illness, we also plan to use part of the funds raised by our foundation to help educate and inform the community, so as to remove the stigmas associated with mental illness.
Furthermore, we plan to provide a range of activities specifically designed to promote personal growth, confidence and coping strategies to assist assimilation into the community, resulting in peace of mind and hope for families, carers and friends.
OUR HISTORY
Our idea for the Believe Foundation was born many years ago whilst experiencing first hand the problems encountered by parents or carers with a family member suffering from a mental illness.
Many sufferers are unable to deal with their internal problems and self medicate with alcohol and drugs, thus making a diagnosis of their condition extremely difficult. In turn, these sufferers are not only most difficult to live with, but alternative and appropriate accommodation is impossible to find. This puts extreme pressure on the carers to the point that they too can become extremely unwell in the process.
Recently when taking part in a Mental Illness Fellowship of South Australia course, we were confronted with carers undergoing the extreme pressures that we had experienced so long ago. At this time our passion was re-ignited once again with a desire to make a difference to this so under-catered for cause.
There is such a stigma associated with mental illness as the general public, unless they have had first hand experience, do not understand that mental illness is like any other illness, which sometimes needs to be treated with medication and certainly always with understanding. This lack of understanding puts added pressure on the carer, hence the need for education about the causes and behaviors of those suffering from a mental illness.