"Half-way homes’ soon

Press, 9 May 1979, Page 16

"Half-way homes’ soon

The first of a network of community houses to supplement treatment offered by psychiatric hospitals, will Ibe opened in Christchurch within three months. I The therapeutic communlities, or half-way houses, are I being opened progressively lin Christchurch. Auckland, I Wellington. Dunedin. Palmlerston North, and Hawke’s •Bay by the Richmond Fellowship. which was founded in Britain more than 15 years ago. Its patron is Princess Alexandra. The fellowship has houses for the treatment and supIport of people recovering from menial illness in Britain. Austria, the United States, and Australia. Plans to set up units in New Zealand have been acted on since the visit to New Zealand of the founder of the fellowship, Miss Ell Jansen, in 1977.

More than §22,000 has been granted to the fellowship in New Zealand by the Mental Health Foundation and charitable trusts. This money is being used for setting up the new units. Local areas will be asked to fund running costs of each unit. Already promises of financial support have been assured by charitable trusts. The half-way houses will each cater for about 20 persons with a staff of four, two of whom will be fully trained psychologists or social workers, and the other two undergoing training. The units differ from other community homes for people with acute mental illness in that they will offer continuing treatment. Surveys were made late last year in Christchurch and Auckland to determine the demand for the new

; units.- A similar survey will I begin soon in Wellington.; 'More than 170 persons were) i considered by referring! agencies tn Christchurch to ibe in need of the type of' (help o'fered by the houses/ 'ln Auckland this figure exceeded 300. I The chairman of the! ■Council on the Richmond. (Fellowship in New Zealand! ! (Mr K. R. Daniels), who is! (senior lecturer in charge of; social work at the University of Canterbury, said last. (evening that in all areas! (where the therapeutic com-j munities were planned the! (needs were urgent. i i “With the need well established the half-way houses have also been recognised by the Health Department and the Minister of Health and Social Welfare (Mr Gair),” he said. Patients attending the' communities will pay some j of their costs. Health depart-1 ment subsidies wil lalso be 1 applied for. All the half-way houses ( will be leased premises. Negotiations for the Christchurch unit, near the centre of the city, will be completed soon. A staff leader trained by the Richmond Fellowship in Britain will (arrive soon to begin planning the unit and advising (on other staff requirements.