HEROIN ADDICTS HAVEN HAS BUSH TOWN DIVIDED

AT FIRST glance, it is hard to see what all the fuss is about. The only
signs of life at Northam's controversial drug rehabilitation hostel are a
couple of cars parked outside the nondescript brick building, formerly the
nursing quarters of the old town hospital.

Inside, it is also quiet. Managers Peter and Gloria White have just
finished leading the regular morning meeting with the nine people in
residence - five recovering drug addicts and four carers, the latter being
people who were once addicts themselves and want to help others in the same
situation.

The group sits at a big dining table in an open area which looks more like
a community recreation centre than a drug hostel. The furniture is cheap
but maintained - there is a pool table, a craft area and a battered lounge
suite facing a television.

The back wall is made less spartan with a giant fluorescent pink and green
graffiti mural.

Unlike many of the addicts that attend Dr George O'Neil's Subiaco clinic,
people staying at the hostel are typically well down the path to recovery
before they arrive. They have undergone a rapid detoxification process in
Perth and have been given a naltrexone implant which blocks the body's
ability to respond to opiates, meaning that they can still take heroin but
it will not give them the high they are seeking.

Because of this, the naltrexone program has a phenomenal success rate.
Fewer than 5 per cent of addicts return to heroin within six months of
having an implant inserted - and since the implants last six months, this
gives them time to sort out other areas of their lives like relationships
which were neglected when the needle was their main concern.

So far, about 90 people have attended the Northam clinic, staying for
anything from a few weeks to up to a year.

Their routine is fairly simple - the regular morning meetings, which focus
on a Christian-based ethos of reflection and recovery - followed by
activities, sports, possibly a class at the local TAFE or simply taking
advantage of the opportunity to take some time out from the stresses of
everyday life.

THE Whites, devout Christians who took on the role of managers in their
retirement, said they simply wanted to give young people a second chance to
make something of their lives.

"I understand how the community feel and what we are trying to do is to do
things with the community - we are trying to get involved in community work
as well," Mr White said, adding that so far this had involved beautifying
the grounds of the old hospital with trees and shrubs.

While the hostel has not attracted the influx of drug pushers some Northam
residents predicted, it is clear the town is still sharply divided on its
operation.

Opponents, spearheaded by a group of councillors and influential
businesspeople including Northam mayor Ray Head, claim they are not opposed
to the hostel in principle but it should not be where it is - in the middle
of a residential area and a short walk from the town's commercial centre.

In contrast, many residents are not bothered if it remains.

An opposition action group has disbanded after the failure of its former
president to win the Seat of Avon against MLA Max Trenorden at the last
State election.

Jenny Lowe, who lives 150m from the hostel, said she was initially strongly
opposed to the operation as she believed it would increase crime and reduce
the value of her home.

But she has since changed her mind, saying it was so quiet it was difficult
to tell anyone was there except for the cars parked outside. "We haven't
had any trouble," she said.

Another neighbour, who did not want to be named, told a similar story.

She had been nervous about the operation because she lived alone but now
was unsure if the hostel was still open.

NORTHAM officer-in-charge, Sen Sgt Craig Wanstall, said the facility had
not caused problems for police but he agreed with the mayor that it would
be better in an outlying location.

But Cr Head believes residents are being lulled into a false sense of
security by the low-key operation.

He expects Dr O'Neil will seek a dramatic increase in the number of addicts
in residence if the hostel's approval is extended by Planning Minister
Alannah MacTiernan when it comes up for renewal in December.

Cr Head said the hostel could be expanded to include the disused hospital
next door, increasing its capacity from about 30 to more than 100 drug addicts.

He said 1100 people - about 20 per cent of Northam's adult population - had
initially lodged submissions against the hostel.

"If in December approval is given to extend the operation, World War III
will break out," Cr Head said.

"We are trying to promote Northam as a regional centre and we feel this
detracts from where we are heading.

"Northam is no different from anywhere else - we have our drug users too -
but if it caters to Northam people, people from other towns or other
cities, it still should not be located in town."

Dr O'Neil has not ruled out expansion - but said it was highly unlikely in
the foreseeable future as donations were just covering costs.

The Minister has not indicated whether she will extend the approval but Dr
O'Neil is hopeful.

He said apart from helping drug addicts get control of their lives, all he
had set out to do was make sure he did not cause trouble for the residents
of Northam - and he had achieved that.