Fresh Start launch holiday home-style Busselton site to help reunite recovered drug users with families

Drug addiction recovery program Fresh Start has officially opened its Busselton family reunification centre. The site is on Locke Estate off Caves Road and will largely act as a getaway style location for Northam clinic clients who have undergone treatment for drug addiction to reconnect with their families. It officially opened its doors on Saturday in front of a crowd of more than 100 people comprising Fresh Start volunteers, their Northam clients, Margaret River volunteers, community members and City of Busselton representatives, including deputy mayor Anne Ryan. Up to 22 people will be able to stay at the site at any one time and a hall will house activities to help with reintegration. Fresh Start chief executive Jeff Claughton said it was important the Busselton site was purely a place for reconnection. “The site itself lends itself to that discrete one-on-one involvement in a setting which is not a rehab, it’s not a clinic, it’s a holiday, it’s basically a place for holidays,” he said. “That is really important because it’s all about normalising somebody’s relationships with the world and with their children, perhaps with their estranged partners or separated partners.” Volunteer counsellors, chaplains and mental health care professionals will all work at the centre to help foster and maintain a safe environment. Most of the work to get the facility opened was completed by the community or with funds raised by the community, saving the organisation about $200,000. Mr Claughton said he was heartened to see the community’s willingness to help. “I would just say a huge thanks to the local Lions clubs and the local community for the support they’ve given us and that includes a lot of the suppliers around town: plumbers, electricians, Bunnings,” he said. “A lot of the local suppliers and trainees and service clubs have really helped us get this thing up and running.” Fresh Start has operated for 27 years and sees up to 1500 clients a year. It predominantly works with people with addictions to opioids, amphetamine type substances such as crystal methamphetamine, and alcohol.