Chris Jenkins resigned from his job as an addiction support worker to work for charitable trust Kia Tipu Te Ora. Photo / Paul Taylor
Chris Jenkins resigned from his job as an addiction support worker to work for charitable trust Kia Tipu Te Ora. Photo / Paul Taylor
Former drug addict Chris Jenkins gave up his full-time job as an addiction support to work for the charitable trust Kia Tipu Te Ora in hope of helping others like himself.
He's help set up a new centre to help those going through addiction rehabilitation.
Now a counsellor, he identified"gaps in the system" during his five years as an addiction support worker.
He said procedures and paperwork took too much time away from supporting people in need.
Kia Tipu Te Ora's recovery hub, on Heretaunga St, runs programmes and facilitates peer support groups.
Jenkins said he has been living off savings since quitting his job, but it has been worth the struggle to fight for a cause he is passionate about.
Jenkins said the trust's model of support is different from other organisations'.
"The process seems to be that we assess somebody to see if they qualify for help - to me that's just insulting. They've obviously assessed themselves and they know they need help," he said.
"If people ask for help and they're told 'no, go somewhere else' they quite often don't. They think 'I've tried to get help and I've been rejected'."
The Kia Tipu Te Ora trust aims to provide same-day intervention for people, even if that's just a phone call.
However, Jenkins said the drug problem in Hawke's Bay has also got worse in recent years.
Jenkins said the drug problem in Hawke's Bay has become harder to treat because of the types of drugs being used, like methamphetamine . Photo / File
"The drugs we have out there today are harder to treat – especially with synthetics and meth," he said.
"We've had people from all walks of life come here and some really successful people that had really successful careers but the drugs have destroyed that."
He added that even months after someone gives up meth, the effects of the drug can be quite debilitating.
"These people need ongoing support. Even though there's some great treatment centres in Hawke's Bay there's no eight-week solution," he said. "Recovery is a lifelong journey - there's no destination."
A recovering addict, who wished to be known as Aaron, said without the hub, he would be at home using.
"This place is amazing, it's somewhere safe to come with a great energy," he said. "Chris has just been so good at listening to me confess all my sins as far as using goes."
On a normal day the trust welcomes at least 10 people into the Hastings hub, according to Jenkins, where he and volunteers run a support group in the mornings.
"We encourage not giving people advice and instead sharing our own experiences, because addicts don't like getting told what to do," he said.
"What I think is unique about us is that we don't have clients," he said. "We don't want a power imbalance, it's not support worker and client, it's us together."
