Neighbourhood Houses Tasmania (NHT) and the Alcohol, Tobacco and other Drugs Council (ATDC) are launching an exciting new project Facilitating Collaboration with Neighbourhood Houses on Monday 22 June at 3pm at Bucaan Community House.
The project is funded by the Australian Government Department of Social Services and aims to strengthen local communities and help neighbourhood houses across Tasmania that regularly see the consequences of alcohol and drug misuse, to address these issues.
The project will be launched by Australian Government Department of Social Services State Manager Anthony Speed. The NHT, together with the ATDC, will support their community houses to increase access to a range of alcohol and drug services.
They will also be providing workers with knowledge of how to engage with clients with challenging behaviour, what alcohol and drug services are available to refer clients to and how to manage risk. NHT Executive Officer John Hooper said many neighbourhood houses are based in regional communities and provide a great first point of contact for people who have been feeling isolated.
“We are excited that this project will help us, our staff and many volunteers to have a deeper understanding of people experiencing alcohol and other drug issues,” he said.
“The project will help us to connect with the professional alcohol and other drug services (AOD), where appropriate, in a non-judgemental way.”
ATDC CEO Jann Smith said the project will not only help neighbourhood house workers and volunteers to access AOD services but expose our sector workers to what the neighbourhood houses do and the value in ongoing support they can provide. “Sometimes reconnecting with the community can be difficult for people who have been through an alcohol or drug program,” she said.
“Being able to walk into a safe and respectful neighbourhood house and having the opportunity to contribute to your local community can be really important to rebuilding your life. “This is going to be a very beneficial partnership between two very different industries and the outcomes can only be positive for all workers and clients involved.”
This project is being launched to coincide with the global campaign Support. Don’t punish. This campaign calls for priority to be given to public health and human rights and to support the provision of services to people who use drugs, particularly harm reduction programs such as needle and syringe programs that prevent transmission of Hepatitis and HIV. The campaign aims see more people in health services than in prison as a result of their drug issues.
ATDC CEO Jann Smith • NHT Executive Officer John Hooper • Australian Government Department of Social Services State Manager Anthony Speed
