The ACT's drug and alcohol sector has received no new infrastructure funding to support extra residential detoxification or rehabilitation beds in Canberra for at least eight years, despite a 36 per cent rise in demand.
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While the territory government has put up about $11 million for the Ngunnawal bush healing farm, that centre has controversially included no actual clinical services for indigenous Canberrans.
Across the wider sector, the executive director of peak body Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs ACT, Carrie Fowlie, was "not aware of any new ACT or federal health funding to purchase more ACT residential drug treatment beds for Canberrans" since at least 2010.
In the past five years, the territory government has increased funding for services and programs for people seeking drug and alcohol treatment, up from $15.3 million in 2012-13 to $19.5 million in 2016-17, or about 1.2 per cent of last year's $1.6 billion health budget.
But the sector is unable to keep up with rising demand, particularly for residential beds; a Australian Institute of Health and Welfare reports showed a 36 per cent rise in demand for such treatment from 2010 to 2014.
"We know that nationally drug treatment places need to at least double to meet demand," she said.
"The ACT's drug use trends are consistent with national drug use trends, and alcohol remains the most problematic drug in our community.
"The ACT's drug residential rehabilitation system is at capacity and there continues to be waiting lists."
The government funds 132 residential beds, with 44 at Karralika, eight at Ted Noffs Foundation and eight at Arcadia House, run by Directions ACT, but the sector says total bed numbers have been static since at least 2010.
A spokeswoman for Health Minister Meegan Fitzharris also said the government gave about $127,000 to the Salvation Army in 2016-17, though the territory does not fund any of its 55 residential beds.
Ms Fowlie said that it was "extremely distressing" for families and people who wanted to voluntarily get treatment but could not get the appropriate help, due to a lack of places available.
She also said the territory government's "primary drug policy governance mechanism", the alcohol tobacco and other drug strategy evaluation group, had not met since 2016 - a period during which the sector has previously raised concerns about the ACT being in a drug policy 'vacuum'.
"Drug treatment works and is a good investment, for every $1 invested, society gains $7," she said.
As the government starts serious budget talks, Ms Fowlie said the sector was calling for an initial 25 per cent rise in investment in the territory's specialist drug and alcohol service system "to ensure Canberrans can get help when they need it."
While Directions ACT executive director Bronwyn Hendry acknowledged the need for more beds, she believed there was also a great need for more counselling services and the like, especially "outreach" programs that would visit vulnerable people's homes.
She said while Directions would normally see about 550 people in a normal quarter of the year, it was currently estimating up to 650 people would have used at least one of their services in the first quarter of this year.
Ms Hendry said while the government had listened to the sector in the past, extra funding for services was "an ongoing discussion" and the bigger issue for her organisation was meeting demand for services, rather than beds.
Ms Fitzharris' spokeswoman would not comment on whether any additional funds might be directed to the sector in the coming 2018-19 budget.
Read, and hear, more about one man's battle with prescription drugs and mental health in the ACT in The Canberra Times podcast, Losing Paul, here or subscribe on iTunes.
