Leeds Rough Sleepers Team talks to LAF about a new potential killer on our streets

The number of rough sleepers in Leeds injecting crack cocaine is on the increase according to a team working with those on the streets. 

John Furness of Leeds Rough Sleepers Team, said: "95 per cent of our new clients have drug and alcohol problems. It's going up and up all the time."

He said over the last two years there had been a substantial increase in the use of crack cocaine with those sleeping rough, and more worryingly a substantial number of people were injecting this drug.

"95 per cent of our new clients have drug and alcohol problems"

According to the Rough Sleepers Team 45 per cent of rough sleeping drug users currently inject crack cocaine, whereas injecting the drug was virtually unknown in this client group two years ago.

John Rossington, one of the team's co-ordinators, said: "Many clients are becoming seriously ill. We believe that this is due to injecting crack cocaine.

"It has become a particularly predominant activity in homeless people over the past two years."

He said 48 people had died in the last 12 months from drug-related problems in Leeds and there had been four drug-related deaths among rough sleepers in just the last eight weeks.

He said: "There is also a significant minority of people with mental health issues who have dual diagnosis issues.

"Harm minimisation messages do not seem to be getting through".

Mr Rossington added the practice of injecting crack was a particularly dangerous one as it could lead to blood clots and infection.

He said: "It is our team's view that this is having a detrimental effect on peoples' health and more people are being admitted to hospital with DVT and other drug related conditions.

"Many clients are becoming seriously ill. We believe that this is due to injecting crack cocaine"

According to the team many of these people did not access treatment services or agencies so they would not show up in organisations in large numbers, and the problem might not be widely known.

Mr Rossington said: "Many of these people will not work with other drug agencies, and may have had bad experiences with them.

"Over 33 per cent we work with have been in the care system. Many have had a lot of trouble at home.

"Some have mental health issues that have not been dealt with. They are alienated - and they may have been kicked out of accommodation because of drug use."

The Rough Sleepers Team, who work at getting rough sleepers into accommodation, hostels and rehab, also do the counts of rough sleepers for the ODPM and the local authority.

The team said there were 23 people sleeping rough in Leeds at the last count, although their count only covered the City Centre and was only an indication for that night. The Simon Community put the figure at more like 50.