Charity's meals to homeless rise 26%

THE NUMBER of meals provided to homeless people by the Merchants Quay Ireland (MQI) charity has increased by more than a quarter.

According to its annual review, published this morning, the Dublin-based agency provided 57,840 meals last year, up from 45,710 in 2006 – an increase of 26 per cent. Sunday is the centre’s busiest day when it serves an average of 400 people either breakfast or lunch.

“Despite a significant drought in heroin in the second half of 2010, MQI worked with 4,308 clients in our drugs services in 2010,” says the report. “Of these, 575 were new clients attending our needle exchange, averaging over 10 new clients per week, highlighting that demand for drugs remains constant.”

The charity’s nurses gave care on 2,235 occasions last year, or 186 times per month – a rise of 14 per cent on 2009. The figures indicate “the increasing poverty and desperation experienced by so many in our society”, chief executive Tony Geoghegan said.

“Despite the Government’s commitment to end long-term homelessness and the need for people to sleep rough by December 2010, homelessness remains very much with us, with up to 60 people sleeping rough on Dublin city’s streets every night.”

In response to the “complete lack of services available to homeless people in the evenings”, the charity, in conjunction with Focus Ireland, established an evening-time service for homeless people in July last year.

“By the end of the year there was an average of 138 persons attending that service each evening,” said Mr Geoghegan.

“As the economic recession continues, demand for our homeless and drug services is growing rapidly, yet finances are contracting. Our response has been to expand and develop our services on the tightest budget possible.”

The charity has increased its national bed detox capacity by 30 per cent, and established specialist services such as Traveller services and day services in the midlands, a women’s service and an aftercare housing service.

It is about to open a 10-bed detox unit in Tullow, Co Carlow, raising capacity there to 24 beds.

“It is important to highlight the fact that drug treatment works, both at the human and the economic level,” said Mr Geoghegan.

“Evidence from the British home office shows that every £1 spent on drug treatment saves £3 in criminal justice costs alone. When health service savings are included the saving is £9.50.”