Services

Mission to Family

Alcohol and Drug Service Delivery
The aim is to deliver a range of quality, responsive Alcohol and Drug Services to those people within our community whose lives are negatively affected by alcohol and drugs.

Individual Alcohol and Drug Service
People over the age of 13 years are offered counseling and case management in order to reduce the harm caused by their own or others alcohol or other substance misuse . Referral to residential or outpatient alcohol and drug services is provided if required.

Wahine Whai Ora
Women's Alcohol and Drug Service.

This is a service for women 17 years of age and over who are experiencing problems with their own or a significant other person's alcohol or drug use and who meet the service criteria. It provides a safe, attractive environment with a range of activities available including counseling.

Thorpe House
Thorpe House is a residential service which provides a safe environment in which people with alcohol or other drug dependence can withdraw form their substances of choice without the aid of medication. The service provides 9 beds for men and women over the age of 17 years who meet criteria for social detoxification.

Home Detoxification Service
This service offers people the opportunity to remain at home during detoxification and have their withdrawals managed by a specialist detoxification nurse and their own General Practitioner.

Intake Social Worker
The Intake Social Worker provides a short term generic social work service to clients who present at the Mission with general life issues. An initial assessment is completed, information/advocacy given and then, if appropriate, a referral made to the appropriate Mission service, in most cases being the Budget and Advocacy Worker or Food-bank Co-ordinator.

Clients who present to the Intake Social Worker are usually very marginalised people/families with complex and varied issues.
However common issues often seen by the Intake Social Worker are:

• People requesting assistance with power costs
• People presenting with accommodation issues, particularly women and youth
• Youth presenting with varying issues
• People presenting with mental health issues
• Offenders released from prison with no support
• Client's not being able to access other social services for a variety of reasons. Quite frequently client's who present at the City Mission lack skills that would enable them to communicate their needs appropriately. This often results in them being stood down or b anne d from other services.
• Physical health issues such as asthma in children

Budget
The Mission 's Budget and Advocacy Worker provides financial support and advocacy to clients.

Free short and long term banking facilities for clients is available who, for a variety of reasons, can not open a commercial bank account. Our Budget and Advocacy Worker can also help the client work out a financial plan for any debt repayment and bill payments.

The Budget Worker also educates and advocates for clients around financial issues, such as with WINZ, other creditors, power companies, landlords etc, to ensure clients receive all their entitlements and then understand their rights and responsibilities. This often involves the Mission receiving the client's benefit payment each week, and then paying this out in cash to them when they present in person.

Food bank
The Christchurch City Mission's food-bank is open between 10.00am and 12.30pm Monday to Friday. No food parcels can only be approved outside of these hours unless in an extreme emergency.

The Food-bank Co-ordinator carries out a brief interview with the client prior to allocating the necessary food. Free clothing and household items are also available if required.

Up to 20 free food parcels per client/family are distributed each week day. 30 food parcels per client/family per day are given out each December period with often Christmas treats included.

Clients can only receive a maximum of 2 Mission food parcels in any 6 month period.

Food distributed to clients is mostly donated to the Mission by generous donors however some staple items have to be purchased.

A recent new imitative at the Food-bank was the introduction of a healthy lifestyle education programme.

Medical clinic and health education
Health education and advice by registered nurse for women and night Shelter clients. Free weekly medical clinic for Night Shelter and Thorpe House residents.