New homeless and drug centre already full

A Dublin centre offering both homeless and drug treatment services is already at full capacity and fears it may have to curtail services if its funding is cut in the budget.

Merchants Quay Ireland’s Riverbank Open Access Homeless and Drugs Centre was officially opened by Enda Kenny yesterday but has been operating in Dublin since July.

It expected to deal with more than 400 clients every day, but in the past month the number has soared past the 500 mark, with at least half of those clients, mostly people on methadone, availing of drug treatment services.

The increase comes as some city centre hostels have closed, creating increased pressure on beds in the city for the homeless.

The centre does not offer clients a bed but does provide hot meals, showering facilities, and medical and dental assistance as well as drug treatment.

Alan Dooley, a team leader at MQI, said around half of the clients using the services on a daily basis would be on methadone, and that there was as many as 160 needle exchanges a day.

"Our figures are only going in one direction.

"We are awaiting the ramifications of the next budget. We may have to forensically look at the services we are offering and curtail some."

So far, nobody has been turned away from the centre and yesterday MQI chief executive Tony Geoghegan said 7,500 hot meals had been served in October and there had been a 10% rise in drug treatments last month compared with the same month last year. He stressed the importance of maintaining frontline services.

In his speech, the Taoiseach paid tribute to staff at MQI for affording dignity and respect to the people using its services.

He said the services in MQI were "in so many ways, indispensable" and said he hoped progress on the Croke Park deal and a financing deal from Europe would help with creating a "lean and efficient economy" that would afford even greater protection to services such as MQI.

One service user, a 32-year-old from Dublin who did not wish to be named, said he had been using heroin for 16 years and that drugs were freely available in many of the hostels used by the homeless.

He also said there was a rise in drug use among foreign nationals.

"I am trying not to think about it," he said of the Christmas period. "I don’t talk to any of my family. The way I look at it there is nothing to [get off heroin] for."

Source: Noel Baker, Irish Examiner, 23/11/2012