As most long term residents of Alice Springs may know the Drug And Alcohol Services Association (DASA) is a Community Organisation established to address alcohol and other drug issues in the Alice Springs and surrounding areas. The need for a Non-Government Community Organisation in Alice Springs was recognised in 1984 by Northern Territory and Local Government, the NT Department of Health and concerned private citizens.
It was recognised that the need to address alcohol and other drug problems should be met by local Non-Government organisations as far as possible. Little service development existed in the Alice Springs region at that time. Progressive implementation of a range of services was therefore planned. The new Drug and Alcohol Services Association Alice Springs Inc. agreed that an urgent need was the establishment of a Sobering-Up Shelter as an alternative to police protective custody for the large number of apprehensions for public drunkenness.
In consultation with Government and the NT Department of Health, DASA committed itself to the priority of establishing the Shelter as the first stage of ongoing development of a further range of services to address other recognised needs. Since that time DASA has grown into a large organisation offering a variety of services for Indigenous and non-indigenous residents of Central Australia.
Some years back we opened a Residential Detoxification House which provides expert and professional support to anyone wishing to undertake positive changes to their alcohol and drug misuse patterns and lifestyle. This service provides a residential withdrawl service for adults for up to 10 days and residential rehabilitation for several months, depending on individual needs.
The Sobering up Shelter provides an alternative to the police cells for people "apprehended without arrest" for being intoxicated in a public place. Clients of this service are given a bed for the night a meal and shower facilities are monitored throughout their stay.
For three years now we have been running the Indigenous Outreach Program which is an intervention and referral program based on the further case management of the relationships established in the Sobering-Up Shelter and Aranda House and other services between staff and clients. These clients are encouraged to have further professional interventions to break the cycle of addiction.
Our latest adventure is the opening of Aranda House in Kempe street. It was two years in the making and with the support of the Federal and NT governments the facility finally came to fruition and opened three months ago. Aranda is a 20 bed residential service with spacious grounds and we also offer an eight week program for Volatile Substance Misusers. Each client coming through our doors has a thorough assessment to look at their achievable goals and are assigned to a counsellor. The program is loosely based on a therapeutic community model where clients are actively involved in their own personal recovery in a supportive and caring environment. Residents are actively encouraged to participate in activities such as living skills, gardening, cooking classes, craft, nutrition and health. After clients have been discharged from Aranda House we offer an aftercare service.
The guiding principle of all DASA programs is to recognise the sovereignty of the individual and their right to self determination and decision making, but also recognises the responsibility of society to provide an environment where personal development towards a better lifestyle is supported and valued.
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