This article contains references to suicide.
Mel knows what it is like to have to walk away from home with little more than the clothes on her back.
She recently left a relationship where she felt unsafe, after experiencing mental illness for much of her life.
“I decided what clothes I was going to take, then literally restarted my life,” she said.
“I didn’t even have nice tights anymore. I didn’t have much to wear to work.”
Keith’s Closet provides a personalised clothing service for people who are being treated for mental health conditions Source: SBS / Spencer Austad
About 43 per cent of Australians aged 16 to 85 have experienced a mental disorder at some point in their lives, according to the 2020–2022 National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
The research also found 21 per cent of people in this age group had experienced a mental disorder in the previous 12 months.
Making change — inside and out
In her role as a peer support worker, Mel regularly takes clients to Keith’s Closet.
The Sydney charity offers a personalised clothing service for mental health patients free of charge.
It’s the brainchild of mental health nurse Keith Donnelly, who has seen many patients arrive at hospital without life’s necessities.
“We look after very vulnerable people, we want make them feel loved and cared for,” Donnelly said.
“Sometimes that means a new outfit.
“Because the people we meet are at their absolute worst, and even a nice fresh set of clothes, like underwear or pyjamas, can make a significant difference.”
This is where I’m meant to be.
Keith Donnelly
Donnelly has also experienced a challenging road to success.
As one of 11 children, aged 10, he lost his mother to cancer. His older brother died on his eleventh birthday.
“It was a devastating time. I was dealing with the loss of my mother, and then another member of the family passed away,” he said.
“Years later, I was told he died by suicide. But back in 1985, the stigma around suicide meant that no-one wanted to talk about it, or about mental health.”
Donnelly left school at 15 and later worked in office and caring roles.
“School was a bit of a disaster time for me. I never felt for one minute that I was going to make the cut at university,” he said.
Finally, at the age of 36, he qualified as a mental health nurse.
From little things, big things grow
The idea for Keith’s Closet formed while Donnelly was working as a mental health nurse in Ireland.
“I recognised that our patients who had to access the service were often brought in involuntarily.
“Many did not have family or friends to take them a bag of fresh clothes or whatever they needed,” he said.
Keith’s Closet volunteers Mya Donnelly, Sam Palmer and Grace Wilson (left to right). Source: SBS / Spencer Austad
One day, Donnelly offered a young man some clothes from his own wardrobe and was surprised by the response.
“Immediately, I saw a change in this guy. All of a sudden, you could see his self-esteem and his dignity improve,” he said.
“He transformed from someone who seemed uncared for to a young man who was very stylish.”
Donnelly migrated to Australia in 2016 and began working at the Prince of Wales Hospital in Sydney.
Keith’s Closet also has a mobile service that operates from a donated van. Source: SBS / Spencer Austad
With the support of hospital staff, he converted a former seclusion room into a wardrobe space, and Keith’s Closet was born.
It now provides donated clothes in near-new condition, and clients can select styles and sizes from a walk-in wardrobe.
Clients can also access toiletries, accessories and personal items.
But there is a lot more than clothing offered, often over a cup of tea or coffee.
“We have a conversation about mental health but also talk about other topics because there’s so much more to people than just mental illness,” he said.
There is also a mobile service using a donated van, and more recently a second branch opened at St Vincent’s Hospital in Melbourne.
Keith’s Closet has assisted over 4,000 people and is growing once again with support from NSW government funding. Source: SBS / Spencer Austad
Keith’s Closet has now helped more than 4,000 people and is expanding again with funding from the NSW government.
Branches are set to open in Bankstown, Shoalhaven and Lismore hospitals.
Its new headquarters also has a ‘closet’ for patients living in the community.
Employment and life skills workshops will soon be run from the new space.
“We will have the opportunity for our patients to come and volunteer and get back into the workplace and socialise. So it’s really going to be an incredible hub,” Donnelly said.
Donnelly said social attitudes around mental illness have improved but the stigma remains.
‘Be kinder’
It’s one reason Keith’s Closet supports those experiencing mental illness.
“The smallest act of kindness, whether it’s giving a shirt to someone or a new pair of shoes, can just really change someone’s life and perspective on things, ” said operations manager Grace Wilson, 24.
The smallest acts of kindness can change perspectives, believes Grace Wilson, operations manager at Keith’s Closet. Source: SBS / Spencer Austad
It’s a sentiment echoed by Mel, whose lived experience of mental illness informs her role as a peer support worker.
“I know people that have presented for the first time, and they have great jobs, good support and are financially stable,” Mel said.
“You don’t know what someone’s going through. Mental illness can affect anyone.
“And no-one ever says: ‘When I grow up, I want to have mental health challenges’.
“So, I just want people to start being kinder!”
Peer support worker Mel has lived experience of mental illness. Source: SBS / Spencer Austad
After being admitted to the hospital during an illness, Mel was grateful for “a few wonderful people” around her, including a psychologist and social worker “who reminded me of all the good about me”.
This support inspired her to become a peer support worker for mental health services, where she now helps others experiencing mental illness — and she loves her job.
“Every day I walk out of my office and I say ‘I’m going to change the world’ and I do.”
Keith Donnelly, founder of Keith’s Closet, says he’s “grateful” for the challenges in his life, as they led him to pursue work in mental health. Source: SBS / Spencer Austad
Looking back, Donnelly can see how his own challenges have shaped his life.
“[Those challenges] directed me into working in mental health,” he said.
“I felt at home, as though this was where I was meant to be and what I was meant to be doing in life.
“So, I am very grateful, in a strange way, that those sad events happened at an early age and made me who I am.
“And it was definitely the driving force behind Keith’s Closet.”
Readers seeking crisis support can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14, the Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467 and Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800 (for young people aged up to 25). More information and support with mental health is available at and on 1300 22 4636.
supports people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
