Small things making a big difference with Keith’s Closet

A NEW mental health initiative, Keith’s Closet, officially opened at Lismore Base Hospital on Tuesday, July 29.

NSW Minister for Health Ryan Park, Minister for Mental Health Rose Jackson and Minister for the North Coast Janelle Saffin launched the service after a government investment of $185,000.

The non-profit charity supports people with clothing and necessities in a mental health facility to help their reintegration into society.

NSW Minister for Health Ryan Park said the project focused on fostering dignity and respect.

“This helps them feel better about themselves so they can focus on their treatment and recovery,” Park said.

“I’m so pleased to support the expansion of Keith’s Closet to another NSW site where I am sure it will deliver for mental health consumers.”

A former mental health nurse, founder Keith Donnelly was a student in Dublin when he had his first light bulb moment.

“In my early student years, we had a guy arrive at the hospital with no clothes, and no family or friends for support,” he said.

“I had some spare clothes, so I brought them in, and it was one of those moments – I saw such a change and uplift in his mood – he felt great.

“He had been doing it tough, in and out of mental health settings many times, often with only a hospital gown.

“Then I was raiding my wife’s cupboard as well. I thought we wouldn’t have much left to wear if it went on.”

In 2019, working for the Southeast NSW Health District, Donnelly developed his idea to convert an unused room in the hospital, and the charity was born.

Northern NSW Local Health District director of Mental Health, Alcohol and Other Drugs Services, Dee Robinson, said the region was privileged to have been selected as the sixth location in the state.

“I’d like to say a huge thank you to Keith and his team, whose vision and drive are truly infectious,” she said.

Minister for Mental Health Rose Jackson said the initiative reflected the kind of mental health care the government believed in.

“It is practical, compassionate and grounded in dignity,” Jackson said.

“This is a simple idea that makes a powerful difference – a clean shirt, a pair of shoes, a toothbrush – these are small things that can help someone feel themselves again and focus on their recovery.”

For more information, visit keithscloset.org