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News Archive 1999
Training Communities To Respond To Drugs
Merchants Quay Project is 10 years old
17th November 1999
PRESS RELEASE
Earlier this year The Merchant's Quay Project with the support of the Combat Poverty Agency ran a ten-week training programme on drugs and related issues aimed at community activists and members of local community organisations.
The key goal of the training programme was to assist community groups to win some control over this issue and to contribute to social change within their locality.
The specific aims of the training programme were:
- To increase participants knowledge of drugs issues
- To improve participants skills in intervening with drug users
- To change participants attitudes by reducing fear and promoting acceptance
The Merchant's Quay Project put procedures in place to evaluate this training programme, in order to measure how well it achieved it's aims.
The results of this evaluation indicate that:
- 76% of participants were satisfied or very satisfied with the course in terms of knowledge gained.
- 86% were satisfied or very satisfied with skills acquired.
- The attitudes of all participants changed in that they were more positive in their view of drug users and more supportive of local initiatives to make treatment available to drug users.
The report highlights the fact that the provision of such training can empower local community activists to develop informed strategies for local action in responding effectively to the drugs crisis.
The Minister with responsibility for the National Drugs Strategy will officially launch this evaluation report entitled "Training Communities to Respond" on Thursday November 19th at 12.45pm in The Conference Room, Merchant's Quay Project, 4 Merchant's Quay, Dublin 8.
Annual Report Launch
Merchants Quay Project is 10 years old
28th September 1999
PRESS RELEASE
Annual Report is Launched by Mr. John Lonergan, Governor of Mountjoy Prison on Thursday September 30th at 5.00pm
The Merchant's Quay Project is the largest voluntary agency working with drug users in Ireland. This year we celebrate out 10th birthday. The project provides services ranging from crisis intervention and health promotion with street drug users, to stabilisation programmes, drug free residential treatment and programmes linking former drug users with employment.
Speaking at the Annual Report launch the Project Director, Tony Geoghegan pointed to worrying trends that had emerged over the course of the year:
- 27% of those attending the Merchant's Quay Project are teenagers, often engaging in high risk behaviour.
- Of the estimated 13,420 opiate users in Dublin half are not in contact with drugs services.
With regard to these facts, Mr Geoghegan said "drug users who are not in contact with drugs services are at substantial risk of infection from HIV and hepatitis C. Recent research shows that there are an estimated 13,420 opiate users in Dublin. Just over 4,000 are receiving treatment, perhaps another 3,000 are in touch with needle exchanges and health promotion services. That means that at least 6,000 are not known to services and are likely to be engaged in high risk behaviours, including using dirty needles and sharing injecting equipment". Calling for the establishment of a city-wide Community Outreach Service Mr. Geoghegan said "The immediate priority must be to link young drug users in with services - that means that there should be outreach workers linking in with drug users in the areas in which they congregate, promoting safer drug use, linking them with treatment, and helping to clear the areas of discarded needles and drugs paraphernalia."
- 93% of drug users attending the Project have experienced homelessness. 19% of new attendees were already homeless.
- Over 80% of participants on the Integra Programme - linking people who have received residential drug treatment to employment - had no home to which they could return.
Commenting on the above, Project Director, Tony Geoghegan stated "We have seen increased levels of homelessness amongst drug users and former drug users. Homelessness amongst active drug users impedes their chances of successful treatment. Homelessness amongst former drug users impedes their chances of accessing training and employment and increases the risk of relapse. We echo the calls made by so many other organisations for substantial investment in social housing, and ask that special provision be made to ensure swift access to housing for drug users who have successfully completed treatment or who are actively seeking treatment for their drug problem.
The President Mary McAleese formally opens newly renovated day centre for homeless persons.
12th September 1999
PRESS RELEASE
DATE TIME & VENUE: Tuesday Sept 12 at 3.00pm - F?ilti?, Cook Street, Dublin 8.
The Franciscans at Merchants Quay have been providing services for homeless persons since 1969. To mark this thirtieth anniversary they have had their centre at Cook Street renovated and refurbished to meet the increasing needs of homeless persons in Dublin. The F?ilti? Resource Centre provides a range of services to meet the physical needs of homeless persons during daytime, including meals, showers, clothes washing facilities. They also provide an Advice and Information Service, a Settlement Service and a Personal Development Programme for homeless people. An average of 120 persons use the service everyday.
Speaking before the opening the Director, Gerry Raftery pointed to worrying trends that had emerged over recent years:
- The number of homeless people has increased substantially in the past few years. The Figures from the Dept of Environment showed 1447 persons homeless in Dublin in 1996. The Recently released figures for 1999 show that this has more than doubled to 2,900.
- More people are sleeping rough every night. 25% of persons who came into F?ilti? this morning will be sleeping on the streets to night.
- Homeless People tend to be younger, and more women with children are becoming homeless. A report produced in 1992 showed that more than 70% of persons using the food centre were over thirty years of age. By 1999 the majority (54%) were under 30. Two percent of users were female in 1992 compared to 20% today.
With regard to these facts, Fr Raftery said "The increase in homelessness in recent years runs in parallel with the development of the housing crisis. The only real solution to homelessness is to provide sufficient affordable and appropriate housing for all" Calling for the establishment of a constitutional right to housing Fr. Raftery said "The immediate priority must be to put the right to housing on a par with that to health or social welfare. Homelessness amongst the poorest in society will continue to grow unless and until there is a clear right to housing regardless of ability to pay.
"In parallel with the creation of a right to housing there needs to be substantial investment in social housing, and the development of a housing policy that is inclusive of all. - After all we don't want to be standing here in 30 years time 'celebrating' the sixtieth anniversary of this service."
Greater Need For Syringe Exchanges In Dublin
21st February 1999
PRESS RELEASE
Report into Syringe Exchange Programme published
A call for an increase in the number of syringe exchanges operating in the Greater Dublin area has been made in a major new report entitled 'Making Contact - an Evaluation of a Syringe Exchange Programme'.
The report was published today (Monday, 21 February) by the Merchant's Quay Project's Health Promotion Unit, the country's largest syringe exchange.
The report advocates an increase in the availability of needle exchange facilities recognising the effectiveness of this approach in reducing risk behaviour for active drug users who are not prepared to cease drug use. The document highlights the urgent need for such services to be available in the evenings and at weekends and recommends the provision of strategically placed vending machines and secure syringe disposal units in the areas of greatest need.
The report goes on to call for the development of additional syringe exchange services at local and community level stating that the service as it is currently constituted is unable to cope with existing demands. It recommends the extension of syringe exchanges to other services such as health centres, and services for the homeless.
city, the establishment of workshops at needle exchanges to promote safer injecting techniques and the employment of active drug users as health agents in the promotion of safer injecting practices .
They also state that a comprehensive health promotion campaign must be initiated to place HIV and Hepatitis C at the forefront of the public health agenda. This campaign would ensure the distribution of "user friendly" health promotion leaflets and posters aimed at injecting drug users in targeted areas such as GP's surgeries, homeless services and pubs and clubs. The need for a national awareness campaign to promote safer sexual practices among the general heterosexual population is also viewed as an essential component of a public awareness strategy.
The report concludes that the reduction of drug related harm must be a central element in any national drug policy
Over 5,000 drug users have used the services provided by the Merchant's Quay Project Health Promotion Unit since its inception in 1992. The Unit was established in response to increasing concern about the numbers of injecting drug users infected by HIV and hepatitis C as a result of needle sharing and other high risk injecting practices. The syringe exchange service is seen as a pragmatic approach to reducing drug related harm amongst active drug users.
A total of 1,337 new clients participated in the "Making Contact" survey over an eighteen-month period. The study is the first of its kind to be undertaken in this country.
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