A "refugee" style camp has been set up outside of Limerick by people sleeping rough in the city. Below is a link to a 10 min radio piece on the latest revelation stemming from the housing crisis in Limerick (and throughout the country). Last month the Irish Examiner published an article stating that people seeking emergency housing was at an all time high including over 50 children that are accessing services. The same article revealed that recently 2 people had been found dead after seeking refuge in derelict buildings downtown. Housing is becoming increasingly unaffordable throughout the country but some attribute the abrupt rise in homelessness to drug use.
In Limerick there are 1,000+ heroin users, a shocking number for the size of the city, and maintaining this habit may come at the expense of finding housing. In order to get off heroin many people find success with Methdaone, a liquid form of opiates that stabilizes cravings and curbs risky drug use behavior. According to one GP in the city, the waiting list to be assessed for methadone is over 3 months and there are a very limited number of methadone prescribers in the city. This means, that someone looking to come off drugs will need to remain stable enough, while continuing to use (because a positive urine sample is needed to start methadone), for another 3 months before they can even be screened for a program. Does this sound feasible? What if they overdose or change their mind in the mean time? If people are truly desperate to kick the drug they must go to Dublin to access services where many are far from any family supports and end up re-using and living on the streets. A vicious cycle to say the least. Topical to the 2nd year SP's yesterday where getting someone into safe housing and on to a stabilizing medication is not as easy as it seems. Juliana Duffy is a second year GEMS student at the University of Limerick https://cdn.rasset.ie/manifest/audio/2016/1129/20161129_rteradio1-seanorourke-homelessne_c21094233_21094240_261_/manifest.m3u8
33 Comments
|
CaesuraRotating views on various subjects concerning health (in)equity Health Equity NutSome streams of consciousness on the subjects of the tragic and the mundane. Archives
February 2021
Categories |