Aims: The aims of this study were: (i) to describe the nature of and the extent to which community-based organizations (CBOs) in Cape Town provide services to people who have alcohol and other drug (AOD) problems; (ii) to examine the relationship between CBOs' attitudes towards individuals with AOD problems and the types of services provided; and (iii) to compare CBOs' attitudes towards alcohol- and drug-using clients. Method: A cross-sectional survey of 51 health and social welfare CBOs in Cape Town, South Africa. Results: A high proportion of clients served at CBOs have alcohol- and drug-related problems. Findings suggest that CBOs may be more accessible to poor black South Africans and women than traditional AOD treatment centres. CBOs that hold more positive attitudes towards AOD-using clients tend to provide more AOD-related services and serve more clients with AOD-related problems. Findings also indicate that CBOs' attitudes are more positive towards alcohol users than towards drug users. Conclusions: This study highlights the important role that CBOs play in the delivery of services for people with AOD-related problems in South Africa. It also reveals the need to increase capacity among the agencies via training and education. (Contains 7 tables and 5 notes.)