Mission Australia - Rawson Centre

About Mission Australia - Rawson Centre

The Rawson Centre is an Intoxicated Persons' Unit (IPU) - a place where intoxicated men, aged 18 and over, can stay overnight. It provides opportunities to men to break the cycle of homelessness. The centre provides immediate, basic needs such as a safe place to stay, food, clothing and showering facilities. Specialised staff at the centre are committed to tackling the real problems faced by individuals. They help clients to look for long term solutions to their problems, such as assisting them to find longer term accommodation or to enter into rehabilitative programs. The Rawson Centre was established under the Intoxicated Persons' Act 1979, to offer an alternative to the arrest and subsequent placement of intoxicated people in police cells. The Rawson Centre's Intoxicated Persons' Unit provides 11 overnight beds. Clients at the centre often have complex needs, including drug and alcohol addictions, family breakdown, mental health issues, and alcohol related brain damage.