Drug and alcohol treatment service for rough sleepers launches in Shropshire

Today sees the launch of RESET, a new and potentially lifesaving multi-agency service to provide drug and alcohol treatment support for rough sleepers and those at risk of rough sleeping across Shropshire.

RESET’s multi-agency team will provide holistic support services for rough sleeping communities including domestic abuse support, adult social care, housing support and mental health treatment.

The RESET team will be made up of Shropshire Council, Shropshire Domestic Abuse Service (SDAS, operated by Connexus), With You at Shropshire Recovery Partnership, the Midlands Partnership Foundation Trust (MPFT), The Shrewsbury Ark and Intuitive Thinking Skills.

According to Office for National Statistics Data, in 2021, almost two in five deaths (35%) of homeless people in England and Wales were related to drug poisoning and almost 1 in 10 deaths (10%) of homeless people in England and Wales were alcohol-specific.

To help tackle the growing number of deaths of homeless people in the county, Shropshire Council has been awarded £1.4m to provide substance misuse treatment and support services for rough sleepers and people at risk of rough sleeping. The money is part of the Rough Sleepers Drug and Alcohol Treatment Grant provided by the Office of Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID).

The funding will support the county in meeting the intended outcomes of the national drug strategy by helping to reduce drug-related deaths, reducing alcohol-related hospital admissions and increasing the number of successful individuals in treatment.

The team will work alongside colleagues in Shropshire Council’s Housing Services so that those currently rough sleeping are ready to take on accommodation that takes them off the streets, and those at risk of rough sleeping receive help and support to ensure they don’t become future rough sleepers.

The RESET team will provide the following services to Shropshire’s rough sleeping community:

● Drug and alcohol recovery support and treatment including medical prescribing via With You at Shropshire Recovery Partnership.

● Learning new skills or new coping strategies via Intuitive Skills Training, to improve peoples’ resilience and support them to address their substance use with confidence.

● Domestic abuse support via the Shropshire Domestic Abuse Service.

● Mental health treatment and support provided by the Midlands Partnership Foundation Trust.

● Social prescribing provided by Shropshire Council’s Healthy Lives Programme.

● Ongoing support and day centre facilities provided by The Shrewsbury Ark.