The Mental Health Lived Experience (Peer) Workforce Team at the Royal Brisbane Women’s Hospital Mental Health Centre have been providing an amazing service to our consumers. “The Closet” provides clothing, shoes and toiletries to consumers who are brought into the Psychiatric Emergency Centre via police or ambulance.

Many of these consumers have no clothes or belongings. Many are homeless with little support. The clothing and toiletries are made available to consumers in a timely and professional way with the dignity of the person the central focus.

In the past two years since the “The Closet” opened we have supported 1,050 consumers. Our team has been able to help people from the Emergency department, COVID wards, other inpatients units, community clinics, older person (inpatient and community) forensic community, and the Community Care Units at Windsor.

“The Closet” also makes an impact on staff members. When a person who is agitated is provided with clean clothes and toiletries their irritability often reduces as they become more comfortable. Safety on our wards is essential for individuals, families, and staff.

Moving forward, we are now applying for a grant to support “The Closet” for another two years.

We are very grateful for any donations that we receive. We only wish that when people made a donation they could get to see our consumers’ faces. A face that is lost and scared is now one filled with hope and compassion. “The Closet” changes lives, just by this one small but important action – Humanity …  we all need it.