Aged Care Volunteer Visitors Scheme (ACVVS)

While loneliness and isolation can affect anyone’s mental health, the impact can be more substantial for the older members of our community.  

ACON’s ACVVS aims to reduce social isolation and loneliness, and to build community connection for older LGBTQ+ people. This is achieved by connecting a volunteer visitor to our older community members to provide friendship and companionship.  

Our trained volunteer visitors provide peer connections, friendship and support to older LGBTQ+ folk. Some activities could include chat over a cuppa at home, going to a cafe,

 listening to music or watching movies together or just being by each other’s side.

ACON’s ACVVS is a FREE service that is funded to operate across the Greater Sydney, Central Coast, Newcastle and Hunter areas. This program is available to recipients of Government subsidised Home Care support or people living in Residential Aged Care. 

 ACON’s ACVVS service is proudly funded by the Australian Government.

If you would like to be involved as a: 

• Recipient

If you are interested or would like to refer someone to ACON’s ACVVS program, you can complete the Online Intake Form, email hbcare@acon.org.au or contact your ACON office. 

A Client Service Officer from the Ageing Support Services team will undertake an intake assessment and discuss your eligibility and suitability for the programs.  

• Volunteer: 

If you would like to volunteer for ACON’s ACVVS or CSN program, please complete the form at Volunteer at ACON (aconhealth.org.au) or email hbcare@acon.org.au for any queries.

The LOVE Project

The LOVE Project (Living OLDER Visibly and Engaged) is an ACON initiative that’s all about creating better conversations and improved social engagement with older LGBTQ community members.

By understanding people’s preferences, we can facilitate greater social connectivity, improve social inclusion and evolve services to meet your needs.

The friendly health promotion team of the LOVE Project welcomes you to get on board to share experiences, interact with other members of the LGBTQ community and create a healthier, active and social lifestyle for yourselves and those around you.

Check out the LOVE website

For more information, contact: Russ Gluyas | 02 9206 2017 | rgluyas@acon.org.au

Follow the LOVE Project on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Fact Sheets

• Health Screens
• Dementia
• Elder Abuse
• Depression and Anxiety
• Alcohol Prescription Drugs
• Ageing and HIV
• Fitness and Exercise
• Health Checks
• Legal Tips
• Nutrition
• Smoking
• Social Connections

HIV & Ageing

People with HIV who commence treatment early and who maintain effective control of their HIV viral load have a life expectancy no different from the general population. This has been clearly demonstrated in large studies of people in high income countries with access to best practice HIV clinical care.

For those in our communities who were living with HIV before effective HIV treatments, HIV may have damaged their immune system or contributed to premature ageing of the immune system. Some who are living longer term with HIV may be at risk of disease at an earlier age or at slightly increased rates compared to the general population.

Potential health concerns may include cardiovascular disease, cancer, chronic kidney disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, frailty, and neurocognitive deficits.

To counteract these risks, it is recommended to adopt regular exercise, eating well, and maintaining a healthy body weight, not smoking and moderate drinking.

Find out more about HIV and ageing via the LOVE Project website

HIV Support Counselling

We provide FREE and confidential counselling to anyone aged 18 years or older living with or affected by HIV including partners, family members and friends. This includes priority follow up for anyone with a recent diagnosis within the past two years and for people seeking HIV prevention information. 

The service provides short term (up to 12 sessions) counselling to assist people to manage their health and wellbeing. Counsellors use a solution focused model drawing on a range of approaches to best meet the needs of individuals and couples. 

Our Counsellors work in Sydney, Lismore and Newcastle. The service can also be accessed via phone or telehealth.  

For more information or to undertake a brief intake assessment, please complete the Online Intake Form or contact your nearest ACON office. 

This service is funded by the NSW Ministry of Health. 

LGBTQ+ Counselling and Support

We provide low-cost confidential short-term counselling (up to 12 sessions) for sexuality and gender diverse people aged 18 years or older seeking support for their mental health and wellbeing.  

Fully qualified volunteer counsellors in Sydney use a solution focused model and a range of other therapeutic approaches to support people to manage life’s challenges. We also provide a limited number of places with our employed counsellors in the regional offices. 

This service is a low-cost option prioritised for people seeking counselling support who are not eligible for Medicare or have limited resources to access private options. Fees for this service are negotiated according to individual circumstances. 

LGBTQ+ counselling is available via telehealth or in person (in Surry Hills) on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. For appointment options in regional NSW please contact the relevant office.  

This service is not suitable for: 

• People who use violence 
• People with unmanaged mental illness 
• People concerned about their substance use 

For more information or to undertake a brief intake assessment, please complete the Online Intake Form or contact your nearest ACON office. 

This service is funded by the NSW Ministry of Health and income generated through fees. 

Substance Support Counselling

We provide FREE and confidential short-term counselling (up to 12 sessions) for people living with HIV and LGBTQ+ people aged 18 years and older seeking support in relation to their use of alcohol and other drugs. We also offer short term counselling support to people who are concerned about the drug and alcohol use of an LGBTQ+ family (chosen or biological) member, partner, friend or other loved one.

We work from a harm reduction approach to assist clients to reach their goals to manage use, reduce or quit. 

This service is offered face to face in Sydney. It is also available via telehealth for people living in Sydney or across regional NSW. 

For more information or to undertake a brief intake assessment, please complete the Online Intake Form or contact your nearest ACON office. 

This service is funded by Central and Eastern Sydney Primary Health Network and the NSW Ministry of Health. 

Care Coordination

We provide FREE and confidential care coordination support for people living with HIV and sexuality and gender diverse people aged 18 years and older with multiple and/or complex needs. Our Care Coordinators are allied health professionals who can help people to: 

• Access relevant healthcare and support services 
• Increase their ability to manage their care and treatment 
• Reduce social isolation 

Needs may relate to: 

• HIV or sexual health 
• Mental health 
• Alcohol and/or drug use 
• Housing 
• Family/domestic violence 
• Finances 
• Legal 

Care coordinators typically work with clients over 3 months to develop a care plan and provide support to help them achieve their goals. 

Priority is given to people living with HIV, and people at risk or affected by HIV. 

For more information or to undertake a brief intake assessment, please complete the Online Intake Form or contact your nearest ACON office. 

This service is funded by the NSW Ministry of Health and Hunter New England LHD. 

Legal Advice

Community Legal Centres (CLC) provide free legal advice, referrals and some representation to people who live and work in their area.

Community Legal Centres NSW: (02) 9212 7333

The Inner City Legal Centre (ICLC) provides a state-wide specialist free legal advice service for anyone who identifies as LGBTIQ throughout NSW.

(02) 9332 1966

To find additional services, or services outside of NSW, see Say It Out Loud’s National Service Finder here.  

Historical Violence Project

NSW Parliamentary Inquiry into Gay and Transgender Hates Crimes Between 1970 and 2010

Background

In a dark period of New South Wales’ history between 1975 and 2000, it is estimated that 84 gay men and 4 transgender women were killed by acts of anti-gay and anti-transgender violence. In some cases, these deaths were attributed to improbable “accidents” and unlikely “suicides”. More than 20 cases remain unsolved leaving families and loved ones without answers, closure or justice.

Hundreds more survived these violent attacks. Many of these incidents were brutal, including stabbings, strangulation, bludgeoning, shooting, sexual assaults and frenzied attacks. As well as anti-LGBT bias, many of these crimes were fuelled by HIV stigma.

Since 2015, ACON has been working with a range of community partners on a range of responses to address the grief and trauma brought on by these events, that is still being felt by many in our communities. In the search for justice and healing, ACON reviewed a list of 88 gay and transgender hate killings, and key findings from this review was released in the report In Pursuit of Truth and Justice Report, published in May 2018.

The NSW Parliament acted on these findings by initiating a formal Inquiry in September 2018 to better understand the extent and impact of violence, whether LGBT people in New South Wales were effectively protected and justice delivered, and whether the current response to hate crimes is adequate.

The NSW Legislative Council’s Standing Committee on Social Issues released its Interim Report in February 2019. Read the Interim Report from the first phase of the Inquiry here.

• Inquiry Reopened: October 2019

In October 2019, the NSW Legislative Council’s Standing Committee on Social Issues re-opened the NSW Parliamentary Inquiry into LGBT violent hate crimes, in an effort to hear from more submissions from people in our communities.

• Final Report: May 2021

The second and final report includes a range of findings and recommendations that aims to foster healing and deliver justice for loved ones of victims and survivors of these historical crimes.

In its findings, the report stated the NSW Police Force failed in its responsibility to properly investigate historical hate crimes. It also found that victims carry enduring physical, mental and emotional trauma as a result of their experiences, and that acknowledging past wrongs by those who failed to protect and deliver justice is a necessary step towards healing.

As well as the establishment of a judicial inquiry into unsolved cases of suspected gay and transgender hate crime deaths, the report also recommended:

• The NSW Government provides a comprehensive update on the implementation of the recommendations in NSW Police Strike Force Parrabell
• The NSW Government ensures that adequate victim support services are made available to those impacted historical gay and transgender hate crimes
• The NSW Government provide further funding to ensure the completion of the Bondi Memorial in Marks Park in Bondi, in honour of the victims and survivors of LGBTIQ hate crime
• The NSW Police Force ensure that its computerised operational policing system adequately captures LGBTIQ hate crimes

Read the NSW Parliamentary Inquiry into Gay and Trans Hate Crimes Final Report here.

• Government response: November 2021

In November 2021, the NSW Government announced that it will establish an inquiry into unsolved gay and transgender hate crimes.

The NSW Government also announced that it supports all other findings and recommendations outlined in the Legislative Council’s Standing Committee on Social Issues’ report, including the ruling that the NSW Police Force failed in its responsibility to properly investigate historical hate crimes. It also found that victims carry enduring physical, mental and emotional trauma as a result of their experiences, and that acknowledging past wrongs by those who failed to protect and deliver justice is a necessary step towards healing.

Read about ACON’s response to the NSW Government’s announcement of a judicial inquiry into gay and transgender hate crimes here.

Special Commission of Inquiry into LGBTIQ Hate Crimes

Led by the Honourable Justice John Sackar (the Commissioner) and first launched in April 2022, the Inquiry looked into the unsolved deaths of LGBTIQ people that may have been hate crimes between 1970 and 2010 that had been the subject of previous investigation by the NSW Police Force.

In particular, the Inquiry looked into the 88 deaths or suspected deaths of men potentially motivated by gay hate bias that were investigated by Strike Force Parrabell.

ACON has aided the Inquiry during this process by several means. ACON has promoted information about the Inquiry through our social media and physically through regional channels with the distribution of flyers to encourage community members to share their stories with the Inquiry. ACON collaborated with SWOP and the Gender Centre to produce social media materials to promote public hearings of the Inquiry.

ACON has contributed significant information, evidence, support, and historical materials in the lead up to and during hearings of the Inquiry. ACON has also provided support to the Inquiry through Pride Training and Pride Counselling along with internal support and feedback to the Inquiry.

The final report contains seven recommendations relating to specific cases, as well as 12 recommendations relating to investigative and record management practices and procedures, including:

• Establishment of a review or audit by NSW Police of all unsolved homicides for the period 1970 to 2010, including review of exhibits and those that should be submitted for forensic testing in light of possible technological advances.
• Several recommendations relating to the enhancement of the Unsolved Homicide Team (UHT) including a review of practices, procedures and resourcing of the UHT, and provision of training.
• Implementation of mandatory and ongoing training for NSW Police officers concerning the LGBTIQ community, including in relation to LGBTIQ bias crime, conscious and unconscious bias in investigations, and the engagement of appropriately qualified experts to ensure international best practice in NSW.