Alice Springs rehab centres call for funding to increase staff numbers

Two Alice Springs rehab services have revealed how demand has changed in the months since alcohol restrictions were altered. Read how they hope to expand their reach.

Alice Springs rehab centres are in need of more staff and resources as the community rides out a turbulent 12 months of alcohol restrictions.

At least two of the town’s substance recovery programs have seen an increase in demand for services in recent times.

Drug and Alcohol Services Australia has a 16-bed sobering-up shelter and, up until October last year, was averaging between six and seven visitors a night.

Chief executive Eloise Page said that number doubled a few months later.

“When Operation Drina came in we increased steadily each month to (averaging) 14 in January,” she said.

“Some nights we were full and had to turn people away.”

The service also provides therapeutic programs, including multiple outreach programs to link people who need help with assistance.

Drug and Alcohol Services Australia chief executive Eloise Page said there were some programs they would like to expand. Picture: Supplied

She said drink driver courses were also seeing an increase in demand.

“We’d like to do less drink driver courses, because it’s kind of terrifying that people don’t realise how dangerous drink driving is,” she said.

With the change in alcohol restrictions brought in earlier this month, Ms Page said it was too soon to see if there had been an impact.

She said the changes did represent a positive move in the community, even if it was only temporary.

“Until we address the root cause we might see some interim reductions in some things, but it’s a nice circuit breaker for the community,” she said.

In order to address the underlying issues, centres believe expansion of services is needed, and both DASA and the Central Australian Aboriginal Alcohol Programmes Unit, which has seen demand increase “significantly”, are keen to step in to fill.

“We will look to provide more programs addressing violence and alcohol use and we also need to address the underlying issues of poverty and lack of opportunities from young people,” CAAAPU chief executive Richard Michell said.

CAAPU in Alice Springs has seen demand increase in recent times.

He said resourcing was the biggest challenge to achieving their goals.

“We can always use more resources as we struggle with finding staff and we do need more people being interested in the drug and alcohol sector as a profession.”

Ms Page backed up the staffing shortage sentiment, calling upon an increase in funding for the sector as cost of living takes its toll.

“We need more funding to improve our resources and our infrastructure and to be able to pay our wages required to get people to live and work in Alice Springs,” she said.

“It’s hard to attract new people to come and give us some fresh insight and fresh energy in the sector.”

Ms Page also said increasing the number of beds for rehab was not the complete solution.

“More outreach is the way to go, not everybody needs to be in a rehab — and more community education about prevention early on before it becomes a problem.”