- Hon Matt Doocey
People in Auckland in need of mental health or addiction support will have another place to turn for faster access to support, with a new peer-led Crisis Recovery Café officially opening in Mt Eden, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says.
“Emergency departments aren’t always the best environment for someone experiencing mental distress. They can be busy, brightly lit and feel far too clinical, when often what someone needs is a calm place to sit down and talk to someone who understands.
“That’s why we are rolling out Crisis Recovery Cafés across the country, giving people faster access to peer support workers who can lend a listening ear, help connect people with community services and provide a safe place to go.
“The new Café, Te Piringa Āhuru ki Maungawhau is a place people can walk into without a referral and get support from people with their own lived experience, including practical support, advocacy and help connecting with other services.
“We know there is real power in having someone in the room who has their own lived experience and understands what it is like, and the rollout of more peer-led support like this has proved to be a real gamechanger for people.
“We know that each community is different, which is why I have always said some of the best solutions already exist within our grassroots organisations, they just need to be backed.
“Ember has already been making a difference for people across Auckland through its peer led services, including Peers in ED at Auckland City and North Shore hospitals, and is well placed to deliver this new Café.
“The first Crisis Recovery Café in the Northern Region was opened by Ember in South Auckland earlier this year, and it is now welcoming more than 500 people each month.
“This new Café will build on that experience and make peer-led support available closer to home for people in central Auckland.”
The Café began operating on the 9th October from 12-8pm Monday to Friday. From the 27th October they will be open seven days a week from midday to 8pm, including evenings and weekends.
“This is the third Crisis Recovery Café established in the Northern Region this year, following the South Auckland café in January and the Kaitaia café in August.
“We are continuing to build a better future by delivering faster access to support, more frontline workers and a better crisis response.”
