Limerick homeless shelter sees surge in drug overdoses and relapses during Covid

Risky drug use and overdose among clients of the facility escalated during the pandemic, particularly the first lockdown

Patricia Leahy is in recovery after battling drug addiction for years; she is currently two and a half years “clean from drugs” with support from NOVAS.

Incidents of drugs overdoses, as well as drug relapses, rose sharply during the Covid-19 pandemic last year, at McGarry House, a shelter for people experiencing homelessness in Limerick City.

Naloxone, a life-saving medication used to block the effects of drugs overdoses, was used 42 times at McGarry House in 2020, compared to 18 occasions in 2019.

This represents “a huge rise”, said Una Burns, head of policy and communications at NOVAS, which operates the facility at Alphonsus Street.

“Among our clients, risky drug use, and overdose, really escalated during the period, particularly the first lockdown,” said Ms Burns.

“This was triggered by a number of factors — double (social welfare) payments, loneliness, fear, services being closed, etcetera.

“We also noted a number of clients in recovery, relapsed during the pandemic, so it really did adversely impact people in active addiction and those in recovery.” 

Ms Burns said that despite the pandemic and the “extraordinary pressures” placed on homeless services, “NOVAS worked with more people than ever before in 2020” supporting 5,701 people, an 8% rise on 2019, and a rise of 493% since it started in 2010.

While the world was coming to terms with the Covid crisis, our services and staff were responding with urgency to develop new practices in line with new infection control and social distancing measures.

These practices were often contrary to its “face-to-face interventions”.

With schools, childcare services, as well as breakfast and after-school clubs all closed during lockdown, the impact on struggling families was “significant” with food poverty necessitating a rise in food parcels and toiletries, she said.

The lockdown was felt most acutely by those without adequate housing including “multi-generations of families involuntarily sharing, people sofa surfing, and for families living in one room in a hotel”.

For some, like Patricia Leahy, a client who sought help for drug addiction, there is light through NOVAS’s support.

Ms Leahy, 35, said she spent “17 years in active addiction” but is currently two and a half years “clean from drugs”.

“I was hopeless, on the streets, in tents, in hostels, just in really, really dark places, and I was constantly fighting day to day to feed my addiction and to try and get somewhere warm to stay,” she said

After experiencing trauma her life became chaotic, she felt “quite broken” and she thought “there was no way out”.

She eventually learned coping skills through engaging with her key worker, Julie McKenna, and moved away from people and places that triggered her back to her dark days.

The road ahead was hard-travelled but she has come out the other side smiling.

“Moving has changed my life; I now live in Waterford.”

I’m in college at the moment, I have my own apartment, and I have my daughter back living with me permanently.

“If I need any support or anyone to talk to, I contact Novas. I talk to Julie, just about anything. Anything new going on for me, I just let her know that I’m doing well, and I’m really grateful for that connection," Patricia said.

“I guess, the staff in Novas would have seen me at my lowest point; I was just destroyed from drugs, both of my kids were taken off me, I went from toxic relationship to toxic relationship.

“I had no self-worth but Novas believed in me and showed me love when I wasn’t able to believe in myself and show myself love.

“They didn’t judge me, I always judged myself, and with my drug use came low self-esteem, which could have been there before I picked up a drug — I thought I wasn’t good enough. 

“Today, I’m in full-time education, I’m studying social care. I have good and genuine friends, I have a life beyond my wildest dreams, and, I’m really grateful.”