13 Jun 2018

City Mission secures nearly $17m for treatment facilities

5:04 pm on 13 June 2018

Auckland City Mission will get almost $17 million from the government so it can increase the number of beds it has for alcohol and drug detox.

Auckland City Mission

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Health Minister David Clark announced today that Auckland City Mission is set to recieve $16.7 million for new drug and alcohol addiction treatment facilities. Photo: RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly

At the moment, there are 20 detox beds available in Auckland - 10 at the mission and 10 at another service provder in Point Chevalier.

The announcement, made by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Health Minister David Clark, would mean the beds would be consolidated at the mission, as part of the development of its new central city complex.

An extra 10 beds would be added, bringing the total number of available beds in the city to 30.

The government's one-off funding contribution would build two floors of the new complex to house the beds.

Demand for detox services was high and Ms Ardern said often people were waiting too long to get the help they needed

"A huge number of Kiwi families will have experienced the terrible harm and distress that come from alcohol or drug dependency. As a community we need to do more to support people that are living with addiction," she said.

"We know that dedicated detoxification and treatment programmes make a significant difference."

The $16.7 million funding will help the organisation expand with new drug and alcohol addiction treatment facilities. The funding will come from money recovered under the Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act.

The government's funding would pay to build the facilities, but district health boards would fund the servcies provided.

Last year, the previous government announced it would contribute $18 million of capital building for the construction of the mission's new building.

It also pledged a further $9 million over subsequent years for operating costs.

Today's funding announcement comes on top of that.

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