MQI is registered for the charitable purpose of promoting health and to provide the stepping-stones for every point of a man or woman’s journey out of homelessness and addiction, and toward a drug free life. MQI provides services ranging from crisis intervention and health promotion services to day-support programmes, residential detox and rehabilitation, and prison-based counselling.

A core focus of MQI’s work is to deliver integrated services to clients who are at risk of, or experiencing, homelessness. Our clients, in addition to the trauma of homelessness, often have the further complexities of mental ill health and substance misuse issues to deal with. Last year alone, MQI offered support to 12,764 unique individuals from different age groups, backgrounds, and nationalities, which is a 10% increase on the number of unique clients who accessed our services in 2021. Despite substantial challenges including the residual effects of Covid 19, we were able to offer a total of 97,736 engagements across our homeless, healthcare and addiction services in Dublin and Regionally. 

In 2022, MQI provided services to 1,019 nonIrish EU/Non-EU unique residents, 166 young people and 668 people aged 55+. These cohorts of people have specific needs and in respect of youth, migrants and older people, the demand for our services continued to grow. Most recent data indicated that the number of individuals aged 55+ using the service in the period January to June 2022 had increased by 23% from the same period in 2019. Another significant cohort using the service is women. In the period 2017-2022, there was a 42% increase in women accessing MQI’s services.

Addiction is a serious and challenging social issue that impacts every community in Ireland. The impact of addiction can be all encompassing. Its effects are chronic, traumatic and can catch families unawares. People lose decades of their lives to addiction. Sometimes they lose their life. In our harm reduction service in Dublin, we supported 3,808 unique individuals which accounted for a total of 35,787 interventions in the year. 

Both our residential and community detox and rehabilitation services supported a total of 138 unique individuals. The MSIF is a key element of the National Drug Strategy and is also a commitment in the Programme for Government. Notwithstanding the support for the MSIF by successive governments, there have been a few challenges to overcome. However significant progress was achieved in 2022 in our work to advance the establishment of Ireland’s first Medically Supervised Injecting Facility with planning permission granted in December. We know that problematic drug use remains a very serious issue right across the country and is not exclusive to Dublin. In 2022, our regional services provided support to 1,484 unique clients through 15,114 interventions. This is an increase of 11% in unique clients.

If we as a society cannot speak about an issue, we cannot address it. The problem of addiction weighs more heavily on the people who carry it with them every day. The isolation that accompanies addiction is not just for people dealing with their substance misuse. It affects family and friends too. MQI have expanded their support to families in the Northeast and East (Wicklow) of the country. We supported 144 family members across our services.