A SURVEY of people using homeless and domestic abuse services in Dundalk has found that many are regularly returning to emergency accommodation because they have received no help to deal with problems such as addiction or mental health difficulties.
The research was launched yesterday, marking the start of the first Simon Week, which is being billed as seven days of action against homelessness.
The study, by Dundalk Simon and Women's Aid Dundalk, involved in-depth interviews with 15 clients which found that 13 had problems other than homelessness.
Domestic abuse, mental health problems, alcohol and drug addiction and prison-related problems were all listed. Half of those surveyed said they were receiving no help from other services to deal with these problems.
The report found that this lack of help was resulting in the "revolving door" effect where people were returning to emergency accommodation or staying for longer periods.
It also highlighted the growing drug problem in the Dundalk area. There were two heroin users in Dundalk Simon's community house 10 years ago. Last year 20 drug users used the accommodation, and eight of these were heroin users.
"Addiction services in Dundalk and the northeast are seen as being severely under-resourced for the scale of the problem that exists," the report found.
It called for a residential drug and alcohol detoxification facility in Co Louth, adding that the lack of such a facility was "a very serious gap which contributes to the continuing circle of addiction and homelessness in Dundalk".
The report also highlighted the difficulty in housing homeless ex- offenders, particularly sex offenders, and called for a residential facility and transitional housing.
"In the case of sex offenders, there is a need for a specific therapeutic programme to be developed in order to reduce significantly the possibility of recidivism."
It warned that the greatest threat facing homeless services in Louth was the Government's budget deficit and that funding was already inadequate, before any cuts were made.
A new three-month certificate in volunteering course accredited by Dublin Institute of Technology was also launched yesterday as part of Simon Week, which is being run by the Simon Communities of Ireland. The course is recognised throughout Europe.
Simon chief executive Patrick Burke said he believed it would be an incentive for more volunteers to get involved with Simon.
Other activities for this week include a briefing day for politicians and a national radio and billboard campaign to raise awareness about the causes of homelessness.
