Off the record brings substance support to the CBD

Aucklanders out of pocket and suffering from substance abuse can get confidential support at the Ellen Melville Centre.

The centre has hosted the drug and alcohol awareness workshops since the beginning of 2025.

Sessions are run on the third Wednesday of every month from 12pm to 3pm.

A CAYAD advisor, Danny Kittner, says Off the Record provides a safe space for drug and alcohol education.

The sessions provide helpful information to help reduce harm from substance use, Kittner says.

“Our mahi is all about reducing the harms young people experience from alcohol and drugs.

“CAYAD were approached by the New Zealand Drug foundation and ADEO Trust Exchange as they thought running these sessions in a council space would be more accessible for people than it previously was at the Auckland City Mission.”

He says CAYAD is not always hyper-focused on alcohol and drugs but aims to help build a healthier world that will always have drugs and alcohol.

Beyond creating a safe space for people who use alcohol and drugs, these sessions also offer support for the homeless.

"People who have less access to support and resources experience constant discrimination and stigma at multiple levels."

Off the Record has created a two-way communication system between these communities and organisations.

"Historically we've always found it hard to like get in touch with people. So, this provides a space where [the homeless] community can chat about the harms they're seeing."

People can show up and discuss about what they're noticing around the streets and advice is offered back to reduce anything from becoming more harmful, he says.

"So, we can tailor that to the harms this community is actually seeing in real time on the street.

"It's really hard to actually capture their voice in terms of the harms they're experiencing on the ground. And so, the really cool thing about this programme is it kind of provides this two-harm reduction communication."

The sessions often offer people food as well, an even a film to help avoid constant discussion about drugs.

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AI was used to transcribe audio from the interview