Harm reduction charity urges people to take ‘One First Step’

Ana Liffey, a charity working on the frontlines in marginalised communities, has launched a new appeal urging those facing the downward spiral of social harms to reach out and take ‘One First Step’ towards support.

The low-threshold, harm reduction charity, which has centres in Dublin, the Mid West and the North East of Ireland, has launched a new freephone number and is urging those in need to reach out.

The charity has broadened its reach over the decades expanding its capacity to support those in addiction and now also supporting people experiencing gender based violence and homelessness, as well as other social harms.

Dawn Russell, CEO of Ana Liffey says “As the harms to marginalised people in our society have expanded and diversified, we have worked hard to adapt our services so that we can help people experiencing a variety of social harms. We started out as a charity working with those in addiction in the North Inner City, we now have teams working in many communities in Ireland supporting people with their mental health, relationships and homelessness, as well as addiction and other issues.”

Russell, who has worked with the charity since graduating as a social care worker almost 20 years ago, says the charity is striving to create a compassionate Ireland by providing a safe space for people enduring social harms in our communities.

“We want to help those vulnerable members of our society access services that can help them improve and rebuild their lives. Social harms can cover quite a lot and our work has evolved over the years, and will continue to evolve as needed,” she says.

Ana Liffey was established in 1982 as an addiction service that pioneered the “low threshold – harm reduction” model in Ireland. It now delivers evidence-based harm reduction services through a multi-disciplinary team model, with nurses, counsellors and case managers working together via an outreach model to reach those most in need.

Working closely with other State agencies and services, the charity operates in five centres in Dublin, across the Mid West region – covering Limerick, Clare, Tipperary – and the North East, through its new Louth service.

Services provided include addiction services, housing assistance, support in attending medical appointments, gender-specific health and counselling services and mental health supports.

Ana Liffey also runs the Law Engagement and Assisted Recovery (LEAR) programmes in Limerick and Dublin cities, in partnership with An Garda Síochána. LEAR provides intensive, person-centred case management to people with complex needs related to addiction, criminality, homelessness and mental health.

To ensure its services are as accessible as possible, Ana Liffey launched its ‘VanaLiffey’ services in 2021. These mobile harm reduction units support the charity’s outreach work linking people to treatment and support services.

Harm To Hope

The charity CEO explained that the low threshold ethos means they can offer support to people no matter what level of complexity their cases present.

“Ana Liffey works with people who are overwhelmed and stuck in chaotic lifestyles, and can also work with people as they begin their recovery journey. But it’s always a journey and it’s one that has hope, that’s why our tagline is “From Harm To Hope”, she says.

“Being low threshold means we remove as many barriers as possible for someone who wants to access our support. We think outside the box, we bring our services to the people as much as possible. That’s why we are excited to launch our freephone number, so anyone can call us and take the first step towards support, free of charge.

“Social harms are so complex, there are often many things happening all at once for our clients but we will never turn anyone away – if we aren’t the specific service they need, we will often walk them to the service that is – if that’s what they want.”So many people just see the harm, the addiction and the downward spiral, she says, with clients often cut off from families or isolated from society. 

“We want people to acknowledge that there is also hope. The destruction to people’s lives; it can improve with the right services and that’s why we are here, to help people access those services.”

Russell says Ana Liffey has always had a tough image as an inner city drugs project.

“And while we are proud to provide that type of support to clients, we are so much more. I think we are like glue, we help people to hold their lives together and, piece-by-piece, rebuild their lives until they are stable and solid. But it all starts with ‘One First Step’, and that step could be that phone call to us. Whether it’s yourself that needs help or a loved one,” she says.

If you or a loved one needs support from the Ana Liffey Project, you can call them on 1800 78 68 28. The charity has also launched a new website at AnaLiffey.ie, with the new site being delivered in partnership with the Teach Ruadh Foundation.