A new space for people who are feeling suicidal to go to for help or just somewhere to chill out has officially opened in Newcastle.
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The Safe Haven Hub re-opened at Hamilton last weekend after launching in July then having to shutdown due to COVID. It is open every Friday, Saturday, Sunday from 4-9pm.
The space aims to be a non-clinical "home like environment" for people to turn up at and either speak with a peer worker who has their own experience of mental ill health or a clinician for additional support.
It has been funded by a $25.1 million NSW government investment to establish 20 safe haven hubs with the aim of reducing suicide rates by 20 per cent by 2023.
Hunter New England Local Health toward zero suicides initiatives program lead Alexandra Culloden said the hub was for people experiencing suicidal or "situational" crisis.
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"That might be someone who is experiencing a relationship breakdown financial stress or loss of a job," she said.
Ms Culloden said there had been circumstances of suicide where the person had not reached out to traditional services, and hoped this would help capture those people.
"We do know that within the Hunter New England, there is a high number of people who have not been in contact with or involved in traditional services," she said. "That can be for a range of reasons. There can be a lot of stigma in reaching out for help or it may be that they have had negative experiences.
"So it has been really important to set up something that's very different to your traditional clinical environments."
Visitors can play a board game, watch TV, have a cuppa or just be around other people.
"Isolation can be a big risk factor for people in regards to suicide," Ms Culloden said.
But the service won't replace critical care provided by hospitals, mental health teams or psychologists.
"What we're really been set up for is it just an alternative option, particularly outside of those standard business hours," she said. "So those times that we do see an increase in presentations to emergency departments, or people reaching out to services which are traditionally closed after five or on weekends."
The Safe Haven is located at 22 Stewart Avenue, Hamilton East and is open to all with no appointment or referral needed.
If you or someone you know needs help, you can contact:
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