Reynolds, Siobhan (2006) Merchants Quay Ireland - annual review 2005. Drugnet Ireland, Issue 20, Winter 2006, p. 23.
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Merchants Quay Ireland (MQI) launched its annual review for 20051 on 29 September 2006. Speaking at the launch, chief executive Tony Geoghegan said that the number of people using MQI’s drugs and homeless services had grown last year.
The city-centre needle exchange and the health promotion programmes were particularly busy. He said that more than 3,000 people had used the agency’s needle-exchange service last year. The report shows that a total of 470 new injectors presented in 2005, up 6% on 2004. Mr Geoghegan said that people tended to inject drugs for a year before they sought treatment, and that during this period they were putting themselves at risk of contracting hepatitis C or HIV. He expressed concern at the high number of people accessing the MQI service and highlighted the lack of localised harm-reduction services.
The report also highlights the increasing demand for MQI’s homeless services, particularly by people from the new EU member states. By September 2005 there was an average of 20 to 30 eastern Europeans attending the service every day. In response to this, MQI has produced information leaflets in a number of languages and some staff have taken language classes.
The types of service offered by MQI and the numbers of people accessing them in 2005 are shown below.
Service |
Type of intervention |
Number of participants |
Outcomes |
Needle exchange health promotion services |
Promoting safer injecting techniques HIV and hepatitis prevention Safe sex advice Information on overdose |
3,339 (including 470 new injectors) 321 safer injecting workshops |
Not available |
Stabilisation services |
Methadone substitution |
29 |
Not available |
Supportive day programmes |
11 |
Not available |
|
Gateway Programme |
33 (average per month) |
Not available |
|
Counselling |
Not available |
Not available |
|
Settlement service |
Assist service users to access interim and long-term accommodation |
An average of 80 service users a month |
An average of 10 service users availed of the Tenancy Sustainment Service each month |
Integration programmes |
Access to transitional accommodation (Ballymount House) for up to 24 weeks Group and one-to-one therapeutic sessions |
12 |
Not available |
Training and work programmes |
FÁS Community Employment scheme
|
140 |
70 secured permanent employment or moved to further education |
Catering training programme |
22 |
20 registered for certification for FETAC National Certificate in culinary skills |
|
High Park |
17-week, drug-free residential programme including individual counselling, group therapy, educational groups, work assignments and recreational activities |
51 (of whom 13 were admitted for detoxification) |
11 completed detox |
St Francis Farm |
Therapeutic facility offering a 6–12-month programme |
26 |
12 completed 3 months or more
|
- Merchants Quay Ireland (2006) Annual Review 2005. Dublin: MQI.
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