Addiction centre urges Government to consider housing needs

Coolmine Therapeutic Community sees 42% increase in residential admissions in 2015

The needs of those coming out of addiction treatment need to be considered by the Government in addressing housing problems, a treatment centre in west Dublin has said.

Publishing its annual report for 2015, the Coolmine Therapeutic Community said it supported 1,350 individuals last year through a range of community, day and residential programmes.

The service said while heroin addiction was growing in Ireland, it continued to see the trend and impact of increased poly-drug use, most notably benzodiazepines and alcohol, as well as mental health issues across all primary treatment services.

There was an increase of some 42 per cent in residential admissions for its programmes last year. A total of 168 men resided at the Coolmine Lodge facility, while there were 81 women accommodated at Ashleigh House - the only mother-and-child treatment facility in Ireland.

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Six extra beds were provided at the centre last year for pregnant women and mothers with babies.

There were 100 prisoners among those seeking addiction treatment at the centres.

Drug-free therapeutic centre

Half of all admissions to the male residential facility came directly from the prison system, and Coolmine said it planned to work with the Irish Prison Service to build a drug-free therapeutic facility within the prison service’s estate.

Some 49 clients graduated from the service during the year and 35 family members were supported weekly through the family support programme.

Coolmine also runs the Parent under Pressure programme (PUP) for high-risk families, and its cannabis and mental health programme supported 39 clients in three 12-week programmes in 2015.

The organisation's chairman Alan Connolly urged the Minister for Housing to take into consideration the needs of those who successfully tackle their addictions when addressing the housing problems.

“Independent research shows that 85 per cent of those who complete the Coolmine treatment remain drug-free two years later,” Mr Connolly said.

“However, many of those who relapse tend to be those who cannot find appropriate housing and end up either returning to a drug-addiction environment or to a difficult family situation, or living rough.”

Myriad benefits

Mr Connolly said helping those who had successfully completed the treatment provided myriad benefits for society and for the exchequer, as those people successfully returned to and contributed to society.

Speaking at the launch of the report in Dublin, director of the Irish Prison Service Michael Donnellan said he believed, without doubt, that drugs and drug use were "the biggest problems facing society".

“It is not just the individual drug user themselves who suffers but, also their family, their loved ones, their community, everybody. I see the biggest challenge as showing people that drugs are not the answer and that they create infinitely more problems than they solve.”

Coolmine’s budget last year was €3.3 million, with 5 per cent of that spent on administration.