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“Dry” alcohol support service

In a letter to the editor Don Stewart from the RWA clarifies that the RWA supports a “dry” alcohol centre for Redfern Waterloo.

The March issue of the SSH incorrectly stated that the Redfern-Waterloo Authority supports a “wet” centre in Redfern as part of a range of actions to address the needs of street drinkers and other people with alcohol issues. In actual fact the reverse is the case. For almost two years, the RWA and the City of Sydney have been actively seeking Commonwealth support for a “dry” alcohol support service for men in Redfern and Waterloo. A “dry” alcohol support service does not allow drinking on the premises, actively works to divert people from drinking toward other activities and provides a range of incentives for drinkers to reduce alcohol consumption to safer levels or abstain all together. Support for a dry alcohol support service is based on the need to address well-recognised major service gaps, expert advice on the merits of the dry alcohol support service model over the wet centre approach and feedback from local community service providers, individuals and street drinkers.

On the basis of this advice, the RWA and the City of Sydney developed a proposal for a dry alcohol support service which uses targeted support and intervention strategies and provides clear referral pathways to health, family and other support services and to culturally specific supports. The proposal is consistent with current best practice in the provision of support for people with either a chronic alcohol addiction or other alcohol-related issues. Clients would be provided with opportunities to recover from alcohol dependence and be encouraged to adopt a healthier lifestyle. The consumption of alcohol would NOT be permitted on the premises, however men with an active dependence on alcohol who are not ready to stop drinking would not be excluded from the service. The local community would be encouraged to have a sense of ownership of the centre and to actively participate in its operation and management.

A submission seeking Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing support for a trial of the dry alcohol support service was forwarded by the City of Sydney and the RWA in November 2006. The proposal indicated that the service would be operated by a nongovernment service or consortium of services, selected by tender on the basis of demonstrated expertise and capacity to effectively run this service in the local area. Unfortunately, the Department of Health and Ageing declined to support the proposal. It was however referred on to a wider whole-of-government assessment process in October 2007. The outcome of this assessment process will determine if the trial of this much-needed service can proceed.

Don Stewart

Human Services

Redfern-Waterloo Authority

Source: South Sydney Herald April 2008 - www.southsydneyherald.com.au