Idea of Safe Zones in Wellington

another article about the wellington one including a video http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/6279484/Courtenay-triage-may-be-permanent

The volunteers involved in the Auckland initiative are with Red Frogs, which is an international organisation that seems to be run by and works with young people. The Coordinator/Director is Ollie Nelson (09-3064222) and he is happy to talk with people about the work they do. The Auck branch works under the Australian organisation but there are also Red Frog branches in Invercargill (which has a Facebook page) and Dunedin. A NZ website is currently being developed.

Red Frogs involvement seems to be the relationship aspect of support and working with the medics. They will talk to the person, help them get home, hold the vomit bag for them to free up the medics. Ollie talked about it being a safe place for people to come if they feel vulnerable, lonely as a place to connect with people, though the main 'business' is currently intoxicated people.

I like the idea expressed in the article on Wgtn about providing follow-up help, eg help with accessing alcohol counselling, etc. We're a step ahead with the place in Forrester Lane to build on.

Thanks Nikki & Geraldine, It's great to know these things are happening already.The Red Frogs and ambulance team work sounds like a variation of what we've been talking about. I intend to go & check it out. It's very heartening to read that this is already operating in other centres in NZ too.

Just out of curiosity, why would anyone who had potentially been harassed by someone intoxicated want to spend any extra time in confined space with others who were so intoxicated they needed "a place to lie down" ? I think the fact safe zones are contemplated for an area like Courtney Place reflects very poorly on both the local premise management & the regular Fri/Sat late night attendees. Very reflective of the prevalent drinking culture that this is considered. Quite literally another version of the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff, yet this time it's the bottom of CP.

I agree that there are two groups of people that need to be catered for, and ideally, the need diminishes over time. Bringing in the education theme that has been talked about in other threads will be important but not easy. How would/could the intoxicated be followed-up to offer support about consumption? I see this proposal being one of a range of approaches to address a problem.

I have really mixed feelings about this. I like the idea of keeping people safe, while on the other I feel like setting up a stall for supplies and chill out might enable more of the culture we're not valuing.
I would much prefer to have a walking patrol looking out for drunk people who've fallen in a garden or are walking down a sketchy alley by themselves. These people could be supplied with water and vomit bags and radios.

@johnirving yes people can go out on a walking patrol and take supplies with them but if they are surrounded by unhelpful other drunk people then having a safe place to take them would be a great benefit.

This might be an ambulance at the bottom of the cliff idea but even if you put barriers up around the cliff people will still end up at the bottom.
With so many different problems around alcohol i think this is just one of the many many things that need to be implemented.

Over time it will (hopefully) become useless as we have managed to change behaviour and the social norm so having to take care of people on the streets isn't needed.

It's just one small part of an overall plan and i don't think it should be dismissed so quickly because it isn't changing what is causing the drinking culture we currently have.
It's saying hey we know there is a bad culture and while we try and change it (which will take years) lets do what we can to ensure that the people who we haven't reached yet are safe and we are taking care of them

@nikkiline fair point it will be a while in the solving and a block was perhaps too strong.

I am still unconvinced that a station is a good idea.
How would we avoid the station becoming a useful service for drunks as opposed to more of an emergency service?

I think this work could easily pull the energy of a lot of well intentioned people away from other solutions with more effective long-term impact.

Ok, what's the outcome or next step from this?

for those of you who agree'd with the sentiment and those who didn't.

What I'd like to see are safe zones in town on Friday and Saturday for NON-intoxicated people. Places for calm reflection and observation. After being in the hype of noise and action, a place just to hear your own heart beat and feel OK. Afterwards you can get back to the action of the city after a bit of P&Q.

Not everyone wants to be loud and crazy all night, and I suspect that many people drink more because they want to stay 'up'; its the only choice.

Often the quieter cafes and bars close early meaning that those that are open get more and more intense.

I imagine a warm, light, quiet ambient environment with some supervision at the door, a consumption free space that allows for a softer participation in the nightlife of the city.