NCJ Number
200255
Journal
Substance Use & Misuse Volume: 38 Issue: 3-6 Dated: February-May 2003 Pages: 443-462
Date Published
February 2003
Length
20 pages
Annotation
Based on a longitudinal study of approximately 1,000 homeless people who used shelters or similar facilities in Denmark in 1988-89, this study estimated the rate of people using illegal drugs in this population.
Abstract
The study estimated that approximately 380 of the 1,016 who used a shelter for the homeless in 1988-89 were or are using illicit drugs. There was less frequent use of illegal drugs by women than by men and by women at centers for battered women compared with those using institutions for the homeless. Significantly more Danish citizens were using illegal drugs than people without a Danish citizenship. Most of the homeless drug users consumed an opium-based drug. Attempts to provide places where the homeless drug users are less vulnerable is a necessary first step toward enabling these people to obtain a less stressful and secure life with less uncertainty and risk. This might be a necessary precondition for efforts aimed at minimizing the harms of drug use. The creation of permanent places for drug-using homeless people is a complex problem, since there are few shelters that welcome permanent residency for those who use drugs. A number of shelters are attempting to provide facilities that can provide homeless drug users with a degree of security regarding their future. It is important that policies bearing upon the management of homeless drug users give attention to the avoidance of their further exclusion and isolation. This paper identifies some of the problems that must be addressed. 5 tables and 20 references