More like a home, less like a hospital: Ballarat’s new youth mental health facility

Cassie*, 19, was hospitalised multiple times as a teenager after attempts on her own life. This week, Ballarat opened a 10-bed mental health centre designed to keep young people like her out of hospital - and closer to home.

❓What happened: Ballarat Youth Prevention and Recovery Centre (YPARC) has opened its doors, two years after the multi-million dollar project was announced. The new centre, in Newington, has 10 private bedrooms, a shared kitchen and dining space, outdoor gardens and a dedicated visiting area. 

The background: In 2024, the Victorian Government announced $141 million to increase the YPARC network in Victoria. The new centres are designed to be a “welcoming, home-like environment” for patients aged 16 to 25, and are aimed at alleviating pressure on hospital admissions. 

• The other centres were opened in Traralgon, Heidelberg and Geelong. Construction of a facility in Shepparton continues. 

• Renovations have been completed on an existing facility in Frankston and are underway on centres in Dandenong and Bendigo.

Cassie, from Ballarat, faced mental health challenges through her adolescence. She was hospitalised on multiple occasions after self harming.

She said a hospital environment can compound feelings of distress when you’re in a full-blown crisis. 

🗣️: “I think the last thing you want is to feel like an inmate,” she told the Brolga. “It’s kind of like you’re a zombie, to be honest, and the whole place just feels like another planet when you’re in that headspace.

• “Mostly, I remember being scared,” she said. 

Why does it matter? The project was developed in response to findings from the 2018 Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System. 

A 2025 report from community organisation The Ballarat Foundation found mental health stress for Ballarat teens is higher than the state average. 

• 8.4 percent of Ballarat youth suffered from a long-term mental illness, against the 5.4 percent average for Victoria. 

• 28 percent of Ballarat youth reported feeling lonely most of the time, while the Victorian average was 19 percent. 

The new centre: The new centre will allow patients to continue working and attending school while receiving treatment. 

The treatment will be delivered by a team of doctors and peer-support workers. 

* Name changed for privacy.

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, help is available. 

Call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636. 

More options are available online at ReachOut.