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This research, carried out by Deloitte and the Simon community, provides an account of substance misuse, including drugs and alcohol, among homeless people in Northern Ireland. Interviews were carried out with 154 homeless individuals (81 male, 73 female) from 33 hostels during the period November 2003 to April 2004.

Main findings

• 106 (69%) of those interviewed drank alcohol on a monthly or more frequent basis. Of these:
  • 54% were male and 46% were female; 
  • 45% were aged between 26 and 59;
  • 41% were aged between 18 and 25.
• Although more homeless women than men under 25 drank alcohol, the majority drank between two and four times a month or less. Homeless men were twice as likely to drink on a weekly basis - 26 males drank between two and four or more times a week, compared with 13 females. 
• Lifetime use of alcohol was higher among the homeless population (97.4%), compared to the Northern Ireland average, as found in results for the 2002/03 Drug Prevalence Survey. However, current alcohol use was similar for both (68.8% compared to 67.7% respectively).
• 66% (70) of those who drank alcohol were using alcohol in a hazardous and harmful way, with the possibility of dependency as measured by AUDIT. Of these, 69% (48) were male and 31% (22) were female.
• 93% of those who used alcohol were drinking before they became homeless.
• 79% of those who had their first drink at age 12 or under were homeless by the age of 17.
• Homeless individuals reporting drug and alcohol misuse (n=134) also reported a high incidence of other risk behaviours, including: suicidal behaviour (38.8%), unsafe sex (37.3%), criminal behaviour (35.8%) and self harm (32.8%). The number of individuals who reported having been tested for hepatitis B (n=19), hepatitis C (n=20) and HIV (n=24) is an indication of risk behaviour placing them at risk to blood borne disease.
• 60% of those interviewed reported ill health.
• 63% (n=97) reported concerns regarding their mental health; 72 (74%) had sought help for these concerns and 41 (42%) were currently receiving treatment for a psychiatric illness.
• Only 12 of those who reported using alcohol reported having used alcohol services. 

Age and gender of alcohol users

Among other recommendations, this research stated that "mechanisms should be put in place to develop a regional strategy for an integrated housing, homelessness and substance use service, both from a preventative and reactive perspective".

The full report Research into homelessness and substance misuse may be downloaded from  http://www.dhsspsni.gov.uk/index/stats_research/stats-pubs/stats-homelessness.htm.

Reference

1. Deloitte MSC Ltd. Research into homelessness and substance misuse. Belfast: Drug and Alcohol Information and Research Unit (DAIRU), 2004.