Despite backlash from some in the community, the health district is pressing ahead with the development of a drug and alcohol rehab centre in a residential area.
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Since they announced the decision to build the much-needed facility on Spears Drive in Dubbo's west, the Western NSW Local Health District (WNSWLHD) have come under pressure to change the location.
But, with the first round of community consultation now complete and a design now in the works, a change in location is looking more and more unlikely.
Speaking at one online session, health district head Mark Spittal said he understands the site choice has created "considerable angst" in the community, but maintains it's the right decision.
"[The angst] will probably continue until the facility is well and truly up and running and in effect people have greater experience of how it will operate in practical reality," he said.
"But we do acknowledge it is a controversial process and moving forward we do want to have a process that is enabling two-way dialogue.
"Where there are issues we can reasonably accommodate in the planning and design of the facility then we absolutely want to take those on board."
He said the site was chosen for its size, proximity to the CBD and other health services and transport accessibility for staff and guests.
"It is not at all strange for a rehab centre to be based in a residential area or a suburban area.... In fact there are some benefits to being based in residential areas," he said.
"Connection to the community is a really important part of rehabilitation."
David Kelly, executive director at Odyssey House NSW, agreed the site choice was not unusual.
He said the approach to residential rehab facilities has "evolved" and now it is standard for them to be in close proximity to other households.
"Back in the day the whole point of a residential rehab was to be as far away as possible from neighbours and the broader community," he said.
"There was a sense that people with drug and alcohol problems were different from everyone else and maybe a bit dangerous and needed to be taken away from the broader community in order to be fixed before they can be brought back.
"We know for sure, from decades of experience, that's not the best thing for the person who needs help or the broader community."
Norm Henderson, a former addict and a drug and alcohol case worker at the Weigelli rehab centre, said locating centres within communities made it easier for residents to transition back to everyday life.
"[At rural facilities] they'd stay there for three months and be plonked back in the local community and they hadn't really learned how to interact... they still had all the old behaviours," he said.
If approved, the WNSWLHD hopes to begin construction on the facility in the third quarter of 2025. When open, it will accept male and female residents over the age of 18 for voluntary stays of up to three months.
Helen McFarlane, director of mental health, drug and alcohol at the WNSWLHD, said the demand for residential rehab is "high" and wait lists are "long".
She said people from Dubbo have to travel to Orange or further afield to seek treatment.
"What that means for people from Dubbo and the region is they will often not seek help as it is too far away or they have no means to travel or no support," she said.
The first round of consultation involved seven face-to-face and online sessions at the end of March. Mr Spittal thanked the community members who attended the sessions.
"This is an incredibly important project for communities in the west of NSW, and there was certainly strong support for it reflected in these consultations," he said.
"We know there will be a difference of opinion on aspects of the project, and the purpose of consultation is to make sure those views are heard and, wherever possible, addressed in how the project moves forward."
