It was like a scene from a horror movie. On a freezing cold winter’s morning, Topic went to the back of a town centre house, a part of old Mullingar which has been for sale for some time. Nearby are three local schools.
by Ronan Casey
The back windows were thick with ice, inside and out. Our guide called out a name and suddenly five fingers struck the frosted glass, holding firm for a second before they scraped downwards leaving five trails of clarity in the ice. Hopelessly the hand inside scraped more and more of the internal frost to try and see who was outside calling in. Eventually he gave up and a dark face peered out of a broken top window. He was wrapped in an old curtain to try to keep warm.
Knowing we could be trusted, he let us in. ‘Johnny’ (not his real name) is from a village outside Mullingar but has been homeless for some time, his heroin addiction contributing firstly to him losing a job then to his inability to meet the rent on his old house in town. He had been living in this town centre squat for a number of weeks, spending Christmas on his own here.
Effectively trapped inside, he was black with fumes from open fires and dirt from his living conditions. Around him was drug paraphernalia and months of litter. His only meetings with the outside world were with dealers and other users, “people who can’t be trusted, that’s why I’m on me own here,” he told us.
But he trusted one man, an ordinary Mullingar citizen who is fed up with the drugs scene in the town. The man spoke to Topic on condition of anonymity. He came across the squat before Christmas.
He has been trying to look after ‘Johnny’ since then, bringing him food, drink and clothes. On Christmas Day he even left his own family table to bring ‘Johnny’ some dinner. He has been trying to convince him to seek help but to no avail. Emergency accommodation sorted by the County Council fell through. He’s not welcome at home. ‘Johnny’ told Topic – that for him “there’s no way out.”
The Council told Topic they cannot comment on individual cases but were doing what they could to help the man.
JUSTICE
The man who brought us to meet ‘Johnny’ is seeking some kind of justice for homeless and other users in the town. Stressing he is not a Charles Bronson avenger out to target the dealers, the good-natured man wants to help addicts beat their addiction, or to convince them that there is a way out. He says the heroin problem in Mullingar is reaching “epidemic status.”
To prove his point, he took us to another squat, again just yards from the town centre on a busy street. Behind it were thousands of needles.
“As far as I can see, these are all for one man. There was only one man in here and this is all the needles that were scattered around,” he said, opening bag after bag of used and unused needles. The man says the user who was in the squat has gone to seek help at a local psychiatric institution.
The man said he is familiar with drugs and it was “the hopelessness of addicts I kept meeting” that convinced him to try and intervene.
We also spoke to a heroin user we initially met six months ago. Again, from a Westmeath village but estranged from his home and, six months ago, homeless, he spent some time in treatment but is now “back on the gear” despite having a roof over his head. For him “it’s worse than ever” in Mullingar but he is optimistic the Methadone Clinic at St Mary’s will help him and others.
HOPE
According to the HSE, the Community Alcohol and Drugs Service Treatment Centre is open from 9-5pm, Monday through Friday, Among its services are: Methadone Maintenance Programme and Urinalysis Clinics; Alternative Therapies; Community Detoxification for both Methadone & Benzodiazepines; OP Clinics supported by a Consultant Psychiatrist (who specialises in Addiction) & Non consultant hospital doctor; and Counselling
Its support services include: Outreach and Harm minimisation (including information and education); Needle Exchange; Project worker; Rehabilitation and Aftercare; Family Support worker; Family Therapy; and Clinical Psychology
The Methadone Maintenance Prescribing Clinic and Urinalysis Clinic opened on Wednesday 10th December, 2014, facilitating clients from Mullingar and surrounding areas as well as clients from the Longford and surrounding areas so it is too early to say if it is having an effect locally.
There is anything between 150-200 clients accessing CADS Treatment services on a weekly basis.
CADS also provide the Shared Care Programme where stabilised clients are transferred from the Treatment Centre to a family GP which is supported through the GP/pharmacy liaison nurse. There are 16 GP’s and 43 Pharmacists supporting clients attending the
The HSE say they are committed to the delivery of treatment services in accordance with the National Drugs Strategy (2009 – 2016).
Families benefit from their significant others being in treatment and achieving greater stability in their life. Equally, the benefits to the community include less crime and anti social behaviour associated with illicit drug use.
“It is our collective responsibility to ensure that such vulnerable members of the community are treated and supported in the most appropriate setting and to assist them to achieve their full potential,” a spokesperson said. “CADS services provide a range of statutory treatment services and interventions, which they provide directly, including medical interventions, detoxification, stabilisation and maintenance, viral screening and vaccinations, nursing services, rehabilitation and aftercare.”
Needle exchange is provided by MQI (Merchants Quay Ireland) and funded through CADS HSE.