Community Voluntary Sector Research Grant Scheme

1
Community / Voluntary SectorResearch Grant Scheme

• Heroin the Mental Roof Over Your Head
• Links between homelessness and drug use
• Research conducted by
• Marie Crawley and Mary Daly
• Presented by
• Geoff Corcoran (THAU)

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Tallaght Homeless Advice Unit

• works with anyone Homeless or at risk of
  Homelessness while also raising awareness of and
  influencing factors that cause Homelessness
• provides information, advocacy and support
  services to clients
• People involved in research
• Independent Researchers Marie Crawley Mary
  Daly
• Staff and Clients of THAU
• Research Advisory Committee Tricia Nolan, Cathy
  Doyle,
• Carol Delaney, Patrick McGrath, Aileen OGorman,
  and John
• Baker

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Research Aim

• to undertake an emancipatory research project
  with a targeted group of homeless drug users
  which will document the links between
  homelessness and drug use.
• Research Objectives
• Explore policies and practices in relation to
  homeless drug users.
• Explore the experiences drug users have of
  homeless services.

4
Methodology

• Advisory group formed to agree research brief and
  criteria for selection of Service Users and
  Agency Staff to be interviewed.
• Semi-structured qualitative interviews conducted
  with
• 17 interviews with service users who either were
  currently homeless or had previous experience of
  homelessness.
• 13 interviews with a range of Statutory,
  Community and Voluntary Organisations

5
Types of accomodation used by respondents

• Sleeping rough
• Emergency Accommodation
• Transitional Housing
• Tenancy
• Private rented accommodation
• Squatting

6
Difficulties faced by Respondents

• When first homeless unable to get information
  about what to do
• Lack of trust from agencies because of being a
  drug user
• Lack of understanding from homelessness staff
  about issues facing drug users
• Problems with trying to tackle drug use while
  being homeless
• Effects of losing family, health, job and social
  status because of drug use

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Experience of homelessness

• It is rough, cold, lonely, dangerous and
  exhausting
• People treat you with no dignity or respect
• Feeling suicidal or attempting suicide
• Loss of family and friends (having to go into
  town for accommodation)
• Being attacked and robbed
• Being trapped in a vicious circle

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Main Findings (1) Drug use can lead to
homelessness

• Interviewees were
• Thrown out for using drugs at home families
  could not cope
• Evicted for Anti-Social Behaviour under the
  Housing Act or left voluntarily under the threat
  of eviction
• Evicted from homeless accommodation when
  suspected of using drugs
• Made homeless because of drug related
  relationship breakdown

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Main Findings (2)Being homeless makes it more
difficult to tackle drug addiction

• Being homeless led to loss of place on treatment
  programmes due to being outside the catchment
  area
• Lack of emergency accommmodation in Tallaght
  means contact with local drugs agencies is lost
• The priority is trying to secure shelter

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Main Findings (3)Being homeless affects the
nature and extent of drug use

• It results in
• An increase in the amount of drugs that are taken
• Using new drugs and poly drug use
• Drugs being taken in new and different ways (many
  moved into IV use of heroin on becoming homeless)
• An increase in risky behaviour (sharing works
  unsafe sex)
• Increased difficulty in controlling drug use or
  accessing help

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Main Findings (4)Hostels are the most unsuitable
type of accommodation for drug users

• There is a culture of alcohol and drug-taking
  drugs are everywhere
• Dealers target hostels
• Intimidation from other drug users is rife
• Non drug users fear and dislike drug users
  isolation
• Management of methadone in hostels is inadequate

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Main Findings (5)1997 Housing Act is problematic
in its application

• Acts as a tool of exclusion for drug users
  leads to homelessness
• Is used arbitrarily and is inconsistent in its
  application
• Threat of the Act frightens tenants into
  voluntary surrender. Fear is that eviction will
  result in
• no entitlement to Rent allowance
• no way back onto the housing list
• not being accepted for emergency accommodation

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Main Findings (6)Out of home drug users
experience agency discrimination

• Lack of listening and respect
• Little or no understanding of issues facing drug
  users
• Being treated unfairly or differently because of
  being known as a drug user
• Placement in poor accommodation

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Main Findings (6) contd.Out of home drug users
experience agency discrimination

• Not being admitted to, and being evicted from,
  accommodation because of being a drug user
• Not being accepted as homeless because of being
  NFA
• Being given insufficient information as to how
  the system works
• Inflexible agency approach thus keeping people
  homeless
• Being removed from the housing list and not
  notified

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What changes are needed? (1)

• An agreed definition of homelessness
• Drug and homelessness services need to work more
  closely together
• Adequate resources must be put into services for
  homeless drug users
• Consistent record keeping needs to be in place
  within all agencies
• Accommodation for homeless drug users must be
  provided in Tallaght across a range of phased
  options

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What changes are needed? (2)

• Policy regarding the homeless list must be
  reviewed
• Review the use of BBs as long term housing
  option
• Staff must be required to treat all with respect
  and dignity
• Policies and procedures must be put in place to
  help staff provide a good service which does not
  discriminate against the most vulnerable clients
• Staff who deal with homeless drug users must be
  adequately trained in relation to both
  homelessness and drug use

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What changes are needed? (3)

• Address the conflicting approach between Estate
  Management policies and the social inclusion
  approach
• The treatment of Anti-social Behaviour must be
  radically rethought in light of the impact of the
  1997 Housing Act
• Make the integrated approach real and involve out
  of home drug users in the system
• Codes of conduct for emergency accommodation need
  to be developed and published and a clients
  complaints procedure included

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What changes are needed? (4)

• Management of drug related incidents should be
  given attention within all agencies
• Improvement in service which was noted by
  respondents needs to continue

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Finally a word of thanks

• To all who took part in the research whether
• service users or service providers thank you
• And the last words

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• Something has to be done in Tallaght it
  wouldnt be for me but it would help the up and
  coming generation.