Lanara is a family-owned support provider based in Marrickville, in the heart of Sydney’s Inner West. We provide psychosocial support, social participation, personal care and daily living assistance to adults across the Inner West Council area, from Balmain and Leichhardt to Ashfield, Dulwich Hill and Tempe. We support self-managed and plan-managed NDIS participants and private clients.

Sydney’s Inner West is a vibrant, diverse and tightly connected community. From the tree-lined streets of Leichhardt to the creative energy of Newtown, the multicultural heart of Marrickville to the quiet residential pockets of Dulwich Hill and Petersham, it is a part of Sydney with a strong sense of place and a genuine community spirit.

It is also home to Lanara. We are not a large organisation with a head office far removed from the communities we work in. We are local, we are present, and we are genuinely invested in the wellbeing of the people we support.

Who can use Lanara in the Inner West?

We support adults living with psychosocial disability, mental health conditions and other complex needs. Our clients include people living with depression, anxiety, PTSD, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, borderline personality disorder, acquired brain injury and a range of other conditions that affect daily life.

We welcome:

  • Self-managed NDIS participants, who can choose any provider, registered or unregistered
  • Plan-managed NDIS participants, whose plan manager pays providers on their behalf
  • Private clients, who fund their support independently

We support self-managed and plan-managed NDIS participants, as well as private clients who fund their own support. If your NDIS plan is agency-managed (NDIA-managed), you will need to use a registered provider. Not sure how your plan is managed? Our guide to the NDIS in Sydney explains the options.

Which Inner West suburbs do we support?

We support people across the Inner West Council area, including:

  • Marrickville, Dulwich Hill, Sydenham, Tempe and St Peters
  • Enmore, Newtown, Stanmore, Petersham, Lewisham, Camperdown and Annandale
  • Leichhardt, Lilyfield, Rozelle, Balmain, Balmain East and Birchgrove
  • Ashfield, Summer Hill, Haberfield, Dobroyd Point and Croydon
  • Hurlstone Park and Ashbury, which the Inner West shares with Canterbury-Bankstown

Newtown and Camperdown straddle the Inner West and the City of Sydney, and Glebe is in the City of Sydney. If you live on that side, see our Inner City and South Sydney page. If your suburb is not listed, please get in touch. We are happy to talk about your location.

What support do we provide in the Inner West?

Psychosocial support

Our psychosocial support workers hold degrees in psychology or related disciplines. This is not a credential we mention lightly; it shapes how we work. Your support worker understands the psychological side of living with a mental health condition, knows how to build a genuinely healthy working relationship, and brings that understanding to the day-to-day moments of your life.

Psychosocial support is about more than getting through the week. It is about building capacity, developing skills and working towards the life you want to live, whether that means steadier daily routines, getting through a difficult week, or working through the barriers that have been holding you back.

Social participation

Isolation is one of the most significant challenges for people living with psychosocial disability. The Inner West has a rich community life: its cafes, parks, libraries, pools and community organisations offer countless opportunities for connection. For many people, though, reaching those opportunities can feel overwhelming.

Our social participation workers help you build confidence and skills to engage with your community at your own pace. They do not simply accompany you to activities; they work with you to understand the barriers, develop strategies for managing anxiety and discomfort, and gradually expand what feels possible. Read more in our guide, What Is Social Participation Support?

Personal care

Personal care is deeply personal, and the quality of that care matters enormously. We provide personal care support across the Inner West with showering, dressing, grooming and other personal hygiene tasks. Our workers understand that personal care is not just a physical task; it affects self-esteem and emotional wellbeing. We match workers carefully and take the time to make sure you feel comfortable, respected and genuinely cared for.

Daily living assistance

Managing daily life (cooking, cleaning, shopping, appointments, organising the home) can be genuinely difficult when you are also managing a mental health condition or other complex need. Our daily living assistance workers provide practical, hands-on support that lightens the load of everyday life and frees up energy for the things that matter most to you.

Where can support take you in the Inner West?

Much of our support happens out in the community. A few of the local places we can help you use:

  • Pools: Inner West Council runs five aquatic centres on a single pass: Annette Kellerman in Enmore Park (with a warm-water program pool), Ashfield, Leichhardt Park (indoor pools only while the outdoor pools are rebuilt, until the end of 2027), Fanny Durack in Petersham (open in the warmer months), and the harbourside Dawn Fraser Baths in Balmain (open October to Easter).
  • Libraries: Marrickville Library and Pavilion, the Emanuel Tsardoulias Community Library in Dulwich Hill, and branches in Ashfield, Balmain, Haberfield, Leichhardt, Stanmore and St Peters/Sydenham.
  • Men’s sheds: the Haberfield Men’s Shed and the Leichhardt Community Men’s Shed at Callan Park in Rozelle.
  • Walks: the shared path along the Cooks River, and the 7 km Bay Run around Iron Cove from Rozelle and Lilyfield through Haberfield.
  • Getting around: Sydenham station has lifts and connects the Metro, T4 and T8 lines, and the L1 light rail runs through the Inner West to Dulwich Hill. The line through Marrickville, Dulwich Hill and Hurlstone Park is being converted to Sydney Metro, which Sydney Metro says will open in the second half of 2026. Until it opens, free Southwest Link buses replace trains. We can help you plan routes that suit you.

What does day-to-day support look like?

For many people, the idea of having a support worker is unfamiliar, and it can be hard to picture in practice. Here is a glimpse of what a day with Lanara might look like in the Inner West.

A morning might begin with your support worker arriving at your home in Marrickville or Newtown to help you get your day started: getting up, showering, dressing and having breakfast. For someone managing depression or anxiety, these steps can feel enormous, and a calm, consistent presence can make all the difference.

Mid-morning might mean a walk in a local park in Petersham or a coffee at a familiar cafe in Enmore, a small but meaningful step towards community connection. Your support worker is not just accompanying you; they are working with you to build your confidence at a pace that feels right.

An afternoon might involve preparing a meal together, organising the home, or getting to an appointment. Every client’s experience is different, and your support is shaped by your own goals, preferences and needs.

Which local services do we work alongside?

Many of the people we support are already connected with other services. With your consent, we are happy to work alongside them, including:

  • Your GP, psychologist, psychiatrist or other treating team
  • Sydney Local Health District community mental health services, which cover the Inner West
  • headspace Camperdown (97 Church St) and headspace Ashfield (Level 2, 320 Liverpool Rd), for young people aged 12 to 25
  • SSI, the NDIS Local Area Coordination partner for the area, which has an office in Ashfield
  • Your Support Coordinator, plan manager and family

There is real need for this kind of support locally. In the 2021 Census, 10.4% of Inner West residents reported a long-term mental health condition, compared with 8.0% across NSW (ABS). And in the NDIA’s Sydney service district, which includes the Inner West, 18.2% of NDIS participants have a primary psychosocial disability, about double the NSW rate of 8.6% (NDIS data, June 2026).

Why choose a local, family-owned provider?

We are family-owned and boutique. You are not a number in a large system. Our leadership team is directly involved in the day-to-day running of the business, and every client relationship matters to us personally. Meet the team behind Lanara.

Our approach is psychology-informed. Our psychosocial and social participation workers hold degrees in psychology or related disciplines. That understanding shapes every interaction, and it is why mental health training matters in support work.

We prepare before we meet you. Before your first session, we ask your Support Coordinator to brief us on your needs, preferences, history and goals, so you do not have to explain everything from scratch. If those details are not available, your support worker will build that picture with you.

We are consistent. We work hard to give you a regular, dedicated support worker who knows you well. For people managing mental health conditions, consistency is not a convenience; it is essential.

We know the area. Our team knows which parks are quietest on a Tuesday morning, which cafes are welcoming and unhurried, and which routes are easiest to navigate. That local knowledge is part of how we provide good support.

Are you a Support Coordinator or allied health professional?

If you are a Support Coordinator, occupational therapist, psychologist, social worker or GP working with clients in the Inner West, we welcome referrals and are happy to discuss how Lanara can complement your client’s existing care.

Our team is experienced in supporting complex presentations, including co-occurring conditions, trauma histories, and clients who have had difficult experiences with previous providers. We communicate clearly and consistently with referring professionals. We accept referrals for self-managed and plan-managed NDIS participants and private clients, but not agency-managed NDIS funding.

To refer, visit our referrals page or contact us directly. We aim to respond to all referral enquiries within one business day.

How do I get started?

Getting started is straightforward. Reach out by phone or through our website to arrange a no-obligation first conversation. We will take the time to understand your situation, answer your questions and explain how we might be able to help. There is no pressure and no commitment from that first conversation. Our step-by-step guide explains what happens next. If having someone new in your home feels daunting, our guide to feeling at ease with a support worker at home may help. Family members and carers are welcome to contact us on your behalf, with your permission, and our guide for families and carers explains how we can support you too.

To talk about support in the Inner West, call us on 1300 152 627 (1300-1-LANARA), email info@lanara.com.au, or send us a message. Support Coordinators and health professionals can make a referral online.

Frequently asked questions about support in the Inner West

Do you support people in my suburb?

We support people across the Inner West Council area, including Marrickville, Dulwich Hill, Newtown, Enmore, Stanmore, Petersham, Lewisham, Leichhardt, Lilyfield, Rozelle, Balmain, Birchgrove, Annandale, Camperdown, Ashfield, Summer Hill, Haberfield, Croydon, Sydenham, Tempe and St Peters. If your suburb is not listed, please get in touch and we will talk about your location.

Can I use Lanara if my NDIS plan is agency-managed?

No. We can only support self-managed and plan-managed NDIS participants and private clients. If your plan is NDIA-managed, you can ask the NDIA to change how it is managed at any time. Your my NDIS contact or Local Area Coordinator can help.

Do I need an NDIS plan to use your services?

No. While many of our clients are NDIS participants, we also welcome private clients who fund their support independently.

How quickly can support start?

Once we have had a first conversation and agreed that we are a good fit, we work as quickly as we can to get support in place. The timeline depends on your circumstances, and we will give you a realistic expectation when we speak.

Can I meet my support worker before committing?

Yes. Once your intake form and service agreement are done, we arrange a meet-and-greet as your first session, so you can see how you feel with your support worker before regular support begins. The relationship between you and your support worker is fundamental, and your comfort matters to us.

What if my needs change over time?

We review your support regularly with you. If your circumstances change, we will adjust your support accordingly.

Other areas we support

Lanara is based in Marrickville and supports people across the inner and southern suburbs of Sydney. See all our service areas or go straight to:

Important information

Every one of our support workers holds a university degree in psychology or a related field. They are not registered psychologists, and Lanara is not a clinical, therapy or crisis service. We work alongside your GP, psychologist, psychiatrist or community mental health team, not instead of them.

If you or someone you support is in immediate danger, call 000. For urgent mental health advice, call the NSW Mental Health Line on 1800 011 511 (24 hours, 7 days) or Lifeline on 13 11 14.

Local services named on this page are listed for information only. Lanara is not affiliated with them.

Page last reviewed: 3 October 2026.