Safe Haven Salisbury expands its services
Wednesday, March 01 2023
Safe Haven will now operate four days a week and from a new location in Salisbury, providing greater support to the community in northern Adelaide.
Safe Haven, Sonder’s mental health drop-in service, opened its doors in November 2022 to provide peer driven support to the community in a specially designed non-clinical setting.
Initially operating two evenings per week, the early success has led to an expansion of the service, with the service now open for four evenings a week. It has also moved to a new location in Salisbury that provides family-friendly access with the provision of a children’s space, to better support parents and carers who access the service.
Community members seeking support at Safe Haven can walk in without a referral or a booking and get connected with a peer practitioner. Peer practitioners use their unique skills to support guests and walk beside them in their recovery journey.
Guests who need further support are connected to additional mental health services to ensure their needs are met and appropriate care pathways are provided, helping to avoid unnecessary emergency department presentations.
Adelaide PHN CEO Michelle McKay is delighted that Adelaide PHN has been able to contribute to the co-design and implementation of this much needed service.
"Adelaide PHN is thrilled to collaborate with Northern Adelaide Local Health Network and Sonder in bringing Safe Haven Salisbury to life, a crucial recovery-oriented and strengths-based solution for those in distress in Northern Adelaide. Through this initiative, guests can connect with peer practitioners who understand the challenges of navigating through difficult times," she said.
Safe Haven is located at 9 John Street Salisbury and open Tuesday to Friday each week, from 5pm to 9pm. For more information visit sonder.net.au/safe-haven.
Safe Haven is funded by the Northern Adelaide Local Health Network (NALHN) and Adelaide Primary Health Network (PHN) through the Australian Government’s PHN program and operated by not-for-profit mental health provider, Sonder. The space was collaboratively designed by Northern Adelaide Mental Health Alliance and the SA Lived Experience Leadership and Advocacy Network (LELAN) with input from people with lived experience of mental health challenges.