Heroin users, housing and social participation: attacking social exclusion through better housing

Summary

This research demonstrated how affordable and appropriate housing can improve the well-being of heroin users and prevent homelessness. It found that without secure housing, it is virtually impossible for heroin users to access services providing maintenance, withdrawal and detoxification treatments or family services aimed at assisting the children of drug users. For many low-income, dependent heroin users social housing is the only realistic option for secure and affordable housing because they are systematically excluded from the private rental market. However, this can lead to some public housing estates being characterised by drug use and endemic drug trade which can impact on the ability of public housing authorities to provide secure, affordable housing. Heroin users also present considerable challenges to social housing and other health and welfare providers through chaotic behaviours. These behaviours are most effectively responded to by further integration of service provision, explicit protocols and guaranteed resources.

Project Number: 30056
Research Theme: Homelessness, Social_wellbeing
Project Leader: Dalton, Tony
Funding Year: 2001
Research Centre: RMIT-NATSEM

Research & Policy Bulletin

Issue 031: Heroin use and housing

Without secure housing, it is virtually impossible for heroin users to access services providing maintenance, withdrawal and detoxification treatments or family services aimed at assisting the children of drug users.

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Description

Drug abuse has emerged as one of the major public health problems in Australia. Death from heroin overdose, in particular, rivals the road toll in destroying lives, especially among young Australians. The number of Australians who have used heroin increased by 50% between 1995 and 1998 (Australian Bureau of Criminal Intelligence 1999). Overdose deaths in Australia increased from six in 1964 to 737 in 1998. In 1964, overdose deaths represented 0.1% of all deaths in the 15 to 44 year age group. By 1998, almost 10% or one in ten deaths among Australians aged 15 to 44 were attributed to heroin overdose (Hall, W.D., Degenhardt, L.J. & Lynskey, M.T. (1999)).

Recent health research has pointed to the causal significance of a range of environmental factors - including housing situation - in accounting for the increasing levels of abuse. The link between illicit drug use and youth homelessness was first strongly drawn in 1989 by the Burdekin Report on Youth Homelessness (Human Rights Commission, 1989). More recently, the Victorian Government's Ministerial Advisory Committee has identified illicit drug use as one of the fine critical areas for close examination in its consultation paper for the on-going Victorian Homelessness Strategy. Poor housing situation appears to be both a cause and an effect of illicit drug use. However, the available evidence is partial and/or anecdotal and does not currently provide a solid basis on which to develop comprehensive and integrated policy responses to the linked problems.

This study focused on the issue of social participation versus social exclusion - in particular, the capacity for appropriate housing policies to encourage the integration of heroin users in the wider community, thereby contributing to major health benefits and long term fiscal efficiencies for government. This project also has implications for the more effective management of public housing estates, given that a number of estates, especially in the inner and far-outer metropolitan areas, experience very high rates of drug dealing and use. This growing problem appears to be an important factor in a range of social problems on the estates and in the increasing difficulties experienced by SHAs in filling vacancies in some of them. The project involved intensive fieldwork in three study areas - inner Melbourne (Fitzroy-Collingwood); Geelong and Sydney (Fairfield/Cabramatta). These areas were carefully chosen to include: an inner region of a capital city, a regional city and an outer metropolitan area; areas with high levels of illicit drug use and dealing; areas with a diverse ethnic and demographic mix; areas where relevant government agencies have indicated their willingness to support the research project. Although the study targetted three cities in NSW and Victoria, the results are relevant and significant throughout Australia. Many of the issues, problems and connections uncovered and documented in the three study areas also characterise many other areas in all Australian jurisdictions.

More Information

Final Report: No. 042: Heroin users, housing and social participation: attacking social exclusion through better housing
566 KB PDF Document

Positioning Paper: No. 031: Heroin users, housing and social participation: attacking social exclusion through better housing
1.1 MB PDF Document

Research and Policy Bulletin: Issue 031: Heroin use and housing
66 KB PDF Document

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