Drug Use And Homelessness On The Rise

The demand for drug and homeless services in Ireland continues to increase and a leading charity has said the rise is widespread - not just in the capital city.

Merchants Quay Ireland (MQI), a charity that works with homeless people and drug users, has released their 2010 Annual Report and revealed shocking findings about the amount of Heroine users and homeless in Ireland.

According to the report MQI supported 4,308 drug users in the capital in 2010, including 575 new injectors attending needle exchange clinics.

Tony Geoghegan, Chief Executive of MQI, said the figure averaged more than 10 new users a week, highlighting that demand for drugs remained constant.

"I think it's significant there was still an increase in clients despite the fact there was practically no heroin on the streets from September to after Christmas," he said.

"This year’s figures are up again."

The charity also pointed out that drug use is rapidly increasing outside of Dublin. For example, at least one in five people who accessed its residential rehabilitation services last year, was from the greater Cork region. This is 20% of clients accessing residential rehabilitation services.

Evidence of a strong link between homelessness and drug use was also revealed by the report, with over one-third of admissions at one residential treatment programme being clients who were previously homeless.

Meanwhile the amount of free meals provided by the charity suggests that amount of homeless people rose by a quarter last year.

57,840 meals were provided by MQI to the homeless people during the year – a 26% jump from 2009 when 45,710 meals were provided.

The charity said: "This highlights a chronic need in Dublin for evening services where the homeless can get a free meal and a warm resting place before the hostels, where they sleep, open their doors".

MQI said however public funding is not keeping pace with the increase in demand for its services. llustrating the fall in public funding, Chief Executive Tony Geoghegan said the charity's new ten-bed detox unit in Tullow, Co Carlow, will need more than €300,000 over the coming year to provide nursing and medical services.

He said almost all of that money has been donated by firms and individuals.

(LB/BMcC)