Legal Aid lawyer Kerry Schroeder said the lack of intensive mental health care, as well as housing difficulties, led a 27-year-old Warrnambool man to "spiral" and persistency breached intervention orders.

She said the man suffered long-standing emotional and psychological problems - most of which were difficult to diagnose.

Ms Schroeder said the man had a lengthy criminal history and was released from jail on April 1 after an extended time in custody.

"He came out of custody, returned to Warrnambool and my instructions are there was difficulty finding housing and he began couchsurfing amongst friends," she said.

"He had nowhere to stay, there was no housing here in Warrnambool, and that has led to him spiralling."

Ms Schroeder said her client's criminal history occurred in the context of him being unable to engage with the resources necessary to obtain intensive mental health care.

But, she said he now understood and was willing to look outside of the south-west to access the necessary services.

"He also knows that whatever is happening, he needs to take control and he can't keep letting himself slide when he's having bad day," Ms Schroeder said.

The man, who cannot be named because that would identify the victims, pleaded guilty in Warrnambool Magistrates Court on Monday to family violence offending.

He was jailed for six months with 61 days already served in custody on remand.

The court heard the man was in a two-and-a-half year relationship that ended at the start of 2019.

An intervention order was issued the following year, listing the man as the respondent and prohibiting him from remaining within 50 metres of the victim's house or contacting her.

The man breached the intervention order on May 19 by ringing the victim 35 times.

The following day the victim woke to a notification alerting her to movement on her home security cameras.

She observed the man entering a gate into the rear of her yard and attempting to open windows to her house.

He banged on the victim's bedroom window and attempted to gain entry to the house.

The court heard he stayed at the property for about 30 minutes and continued to ring the victim.

The victim did not immediately call the police as she was in fear of repercussions.

The man rang the victim 62 times and sent numerous text messages which the woman did not respond to.

On May 21 the victim's child alerted her school to the incident and the matter was reported to the police.

The man attended Warrnambool police station on May 27 and was arrested, charged and remanded in custody.

He also pleaded guilty to attending his mother's property despite an intervention order prohibiting from doing so.

The court heard the man was arrested at the property and due to his mental health was transported to the acute mental health Inpatient unit at South West Healthcare.

But the hospital would not admit him, leading police to arrest him and conveying him back to the station.

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