Crisis peer support to extend hours

An expanded peer service is coming to Life Matters Suicide Prevention Trust, Te Whare Oranga Ngākau.

Co-general manager Corinda Taylor said a contract with Te Whatu Ora Southern was enabling the trust to recruit and train more peer supporters to allow it to expand to a six-day service, eventually taking the organisation from operating 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, to being open Tuesday to Sunday.

On five of those days, including weekends, it will be open until 9pm.

"This is ground-breaking for Dunedin as it provides a safe, welcoming, supportive space for anyone in mental distress out of regular working hours to go to, other than the emergency department at Dunedin Hospital," Mrs Taylor said.

The trust would initially extend the opening hours to include Wednesday evenings, alongside Thursday evenings until 9pm.

Next month, Friday evenings would be added and the trust expected a full six-day service to be operating by February next year.

Alongside the additional hours, it would no longer refer to its Thursday evening peer service as the Crisis Cafe, as it was now accepting tāngata whaiora in mental health crisis as drop-ins at any point during its open hours.

"The Crisis Cafe was developed as a response to a need in the community for a place for people in mental health crisis to go other than the emergency department at Dunedin Hospital, where they may wait for several hours before seeing the emergency psychiatric service.

"Ultimately, our peer support works towards hope and wellbeing for tāngata whaiora, the person seeking health.

"Our belief is there is always hope, and that resilience and wellbeing are possible for everyone," Mrs Taylor said.

"Our service is very accessible to people with disabilities and to anyone who needs support as we accept drop-ins, calls for support by phone, email, Facebook message and online.

"There is no criteria, no wrong door. We take people as they are.

"We listen, we do not judge, we support."