Increasing number of Eastern European immigrants fall on hard times

INCREASING numbers of Eastern European nationals are using the services offered by one of the largest charities for homeless people and drug users in Ireland.

Merchants Quay Ireland (MQI) is also seeing a rise in the number of injecting drug users seeking treatment for the first time.

MQI director Tony Geoghegan said the State urgently needed to direct resources towards helping people from the new EU states who had fallen on hard times here.