Derry’s street drinkers ‘getting younger’

Street drinkers in Derry are getting younger, according to a facility in the city which provides support services to those suffering from alcohol abuse.

Foyle Haven operates a drop-in centre in John Street which provides help to homeless people, or those at risk of homelessness, primarily street drinkers.

The centre, which opened in December 2001, has recently expanded its service to cater for those who also suffer from substance abuse.

And it has now warned that they are increasingly dealing with younger people who are coming into to avail of their services, with a marked upsurge in the number of referrals to them of people under the age of 30.

Darren McPartland, Deputy Manager with Foyle Haven, which is operated by DePaul Ireland, said that they are dealing with more young street drinkers coming through their doors, as well as young people impacted by the effects of substance abuse.

“That is the pattern, we are seeing a lot more of that, absolutely,” he said, “and the evidence is there in terms of our age group.

“Of 56 referrals we recently dealt with, 25 per cent of them were under 30.”

He added that substance abuse was a factor in the increase of young people being in crisis and at risk of homelessness.

“We’ve seen that as an increase. They are getting younger. People are getting into a chronic situation much earlier, and again it’s substance misuse now,” Mr McPartland added.

“It can take people quite a long time to drink themselves to death, whereas with substances and chemicals it can be a couple of years.

“You also have the mental health issue, so for more people, it’s getting critical at a much younger age.”