Around 50 people are helping vulnerable youth get home safely on Saturday nights and easing the burden on emergency services. The Street Safe Salvos program has helped around 200 people in need of assistance since volunteers began roaming the inner city as part of a pilot program in October.

The program, run by the Salvation Army together with Newcastle City Council and police, sees three teams of three volunteers, at least one with first aid training, patrolling the CBD on foot between 10pm and 3.30am each Saturday night.

Dressed in 'high vis' clothing, the volunteers hand out water, help recharge mobile phones from a van and offer a sympathetic ear and other support when nights out don't go according to plan. To date, those who have received precious care include a distressed and confused woman being escorted home by two unfamiliar men, a drug-affected man interrupting traffic and a heavily intoxicated man at risk of being robbed in Civic Park.

The volunteers have worked with licensees and door staff to good effect, and spared emergency service call outs on numerous occasions.

The Salvos’ Oasis bus, alternating between three locations, serves as a base for the volunteers each Saturday night and offers privacy when those receiving assistance need it. We may never know the harm volunteers help prevent, but their dedication has to be admired.