Door-to-Door for Mental Health: A project with Assisting Communities through Direct Connection (ACDC)
The act of knocking on a door to check in on the household is not new. As a show of care, this has presumably worked to keep people well and connected to natural supports throughout history and across diverse cultures. In 2021 and 2022, the ACDC (Assisting Communities through Direct Connection) Project turned this simple idea into a large-scale program adapted to the contemporary Australian context and implemented across multiple community settings.
Teams of two or three people – referred to as ‘People Connectors’ – knocked on over 37,000 doors in 21 communities around Australia to ask Householders about their wellbeing. They had conversations about mental health and social and emotional wellbeing, collected data through a survey, responded to any needs that arose, and provided information and assistance by suggesting support options or linking people to services. In every community a Delivery Partner Organisation was engaged to deliver the project in their community.
Read the Australian first study