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Drug policy revised: hard drugs give rise to hard questions

May 18 2009
More needs to be done to tackle drug addiction and homelessness, but service centres and governmental department have yet to come up with an answer The government and agencies have admitted that more needs to be done to tackle the issues surrounding drug addiction and homelessness. But his has left service centres and governmental department scratching their heads to come up with an answer to this complex, long-term problem. Few will be surprised that drug related problems are at the centre of policy changes and proposals for service users in the UK. Drug use has long been the biggest challenge faced by those working to move people off the streets and, most crucially, is the biggest stigma faced by rough sleepers when they are trying to secure social mobility. From the refusal of pennies from passers-by to the limited money to fundraisers, Britain is prone to dismissing helping the homeless with the phrase; "They're only going to spend it on drugs or booze." Surely changing this attitude is the biggest barrier to change? A Department for Local Government and Communities report claimed that around 80 per cent of rough sleepers admitted to a drugs problem, but more optimistically indicated that studies have shown that every ?î???1 spent on treatment saves ¬¨¬£9.50 in criminal and healthcare costs. However, these statistics come from slightly out-of-date sources: the drugs problem figure from research undertaken in 2001 by Fountain and Howes for the National Addiction Centre in London; and the financial data from a report by Godfrey in 2004 entitled Economic analysis of costs and consequences of the treatment of drug misuse. The use of these figures suggest that the authors might, therefore, conclude that improved treatment and healthcare are key to ending addiction on the streets; others suggest it will not be so simple. At a Homeless Link/Shelter conference where the report was released, Paul Hayes, chief executive of the National Treatment Agency, discussed successes over the past 10 years in getting more people into drug treatment faster, but admitted that some of the most vulnerable people were being left behind. "If it was not hard," he conceded, "we would have done it already." Lisa Barker, deputy director of homelessness and housing management, Department for Communities and Local Government, echoed this concern. Her department's statistics showed that government targets to reduce rough sleeping had failed to reach the one-in-five rough sleepers who have both substance misuse and mental health problems. Ms Barker said that a lack of co-operation between agencies in the past had failed some drug users whose accommodation needs were not considered until they were ready for discharge from treatment, at which point it was often too late find appropriate housing. Jane Luby, of Tribal Consulting, the author of Clean break, a report into housing in Highbury and Islington, said she had frequently found flaws with housing. "The same message was repeated over and over by the service users interviewed for the report," she said. "If they end up on an estate rife with drugs or in a hostel where drug users live, the chances of relapse are stacked against them." These words roused Caroline Davey, of Shelter, into proclaiming that stable housing is the best way to get off drugs. "Drug users need a base from which to address their problems," she said. But she added that there is a general lack of understanding from housing authorities when it comes to the importance of re-homing the homeless; she even suggested that many authorities ignore the government's 2002 guidelines in favour of a quick solution. Natalie Pace, from the Housing Corporation, said it was clear some people were being excluded from housing register but drew a blank when it came to suggesting what could be done to change this: "There is some bad practice and we cannot have blanket bans," she said. But it was not all about ignorance of governmental policy: in some areas, in fact, it was due to the over-use of Downing Street's ideas. Martin Barnes, chief executive of DrugScope, said a conflict existed between the 'Respect Agenda' and the demand for stable housing for drug users; and other industry speakers added that the introduction of ASBOs had only served to make tackling drug addiction in rough sleepers worse, criminalising people who should be supported. Mr Barnes also recognised the contribution of popular opinion, saying that the public's perception was frequently wrong. He believed that people in the UK are being misled by professionals and the media into believing that problems were more widespread than is the case. The result was that drug users were being stigmatised - and the media was helping to confirm prejudice. He said that greater sympathy for the plight of drug users was needed: "No one chooses to become a drug user." But not every drug user is choosing to co-operate when it comes to cleaning up their act, and for society to change, there will need to be a meeting of ideas. The conference speeches contained many ideas, even constant themes, but limited solutions. Maybe the wisest words on ending drug addiction can come from those who have done it themselves.
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