The Newcastle Beacon volunteers to operate a mental health and advocacy drop-in centre for first responders, emergency workers, veterans and their families

The centre, called The Newcastle Beacon, will operate out of Wallsend Pioneers Memorial Hall during business hours from January 27.

Chair of The Beacon Wendy Waldron, a social worker and daughter of a veteran, said the centre's executive committee wanted to provide a community-based solution to the suicide rates and poorer mental health of those in uniform.

"These people are the ones sitting with people on the worst day of their lives and that can't happen without a cost," Ms Waldron said. "Everyone is saying there is no support, the government's got to fix that. But the government has got a job to do too. As a community I don't think we can keep pointing the finger when we can show we care. They've had our backs. This is about the community saying we've got your back now."

The largest-ever survey of emergency workers released by Beyond Blue last year found they had much higher levels of mental distress than the general population. One in three had high or very high psychological distress, and one in four former responders had probable Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Veterans also experience higher rates of suicide.

Ms Waldron said, so far, 100 businesses and organisation had offered their assistance in establishing the service and running it in the long-term. Ms Waldron said volunteers at the centre would receive a "high level" of training and support.

One of The Beacon's executive members Allan Crumpton, who is a Vietnam Veteran and retired police officer, said that while he believed there were a lot of services for veterans and former officers they were difficult to navigate alone. He said The Beacon would let people know what is available, help fill out forms and maintain contact with services.

"I think there's that issue of bureaucracy," he said.

Graeme Silver, who is an executive member and a former paramedic, manager and peer support officer for Ambulance NSW, said sometimes colleagues were distrustful of mental health help offered by the workplace.

"They worry about how much people are going to know," he said.

Mr Silver said a "neutral ground" would have been valuable.

"I had a really sad job where I would have loved to take my crew to somewhere afterwards. We went back to one of our stations but it would have been better to take them away from the phones, to show them it was not about work but to say, okay, now we are holding a space for you," he said.

Member Shane Harris, an Ambulance NSW duty operations manager, said the group plans to make the centre 24/7 after six months.

"Sometimes you're driving back from a job at 2am and you don't know whether to go home or call a mate. You just need a space to go and sit, where someone can listen for a couple of minutes," Mr Harris said.

The paramedic said that, despite the demands of his job, he appreciates the opportunity to provide emotional support to patients.

"We are often emerged in people's pain and misery on a daily basis. Driving a mother of a daughter that's died to the hospital, those 30 minutes in a car with someone you can't put into words," Mr Harris said.

"But sometimes it's nice to give what you've got left in the jar to others. It gives connection and creates community. It's being there for each other."

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