Barrier Breakers secretary, Derek Amos said the situation is not uncommon for many Gippslanders suffering with a mental illness.

Mr Amos told The Express Gippsland had about 200 supported accommodation beds, 100 fewer than 40 years ago.

He said it was not enough and an increasing number of people with a mental illness were being forced to stay with family or friends, in caravan parks, or left homeless because there was nowhere else for them to go.

``Our biggest concern is that there are people with a mental illness who need supported accommodation and can't get it, so they are living in parks,'' he said.

Barrier Breakers and other agencies including Gippsland Accommodation and Rehabilitation Support Services (GARSS) and SNAP Gippsland will highlight these concerns in a submission to the Community Development Committee's `Inquiry into Supported Accommodation for Victorians with a Disability or Mental Illness'.

Issues the inquiry will look at include the standard, range and adequacy of care and accommodation available and the management of services.

Mr Amos said the group of support agencies would meet tomorrow to work out what would be included in a submission.

``We know what we want to include...we've got the bones of it, we just want to add the other parties' views,'' he said.

Barrier Breakers also wants to hear from members of the public willing to share their experiences of supported accommodation.

Mr Amos said Nationals MLC for Eastern Region, Peter Hall had formally asked Minister for Housing, Richard Wynne to outline which towns provided public housing for people with a mental illness.

The answer was ``the Office of Housing does not reserve a particular number of properties for people with a mental illness''.

Mr Amos said the situation was not good enough.

``We're not talking about someone on a waiting list for the Office of Housing, we're talking about people who need supported accommodation,'' he said.