The consequences of addiction…
We all know that drug addiction is not only devastating for the individuals and their families, but also for the wider community. Recently Cornerstone NI encountered first-hand the terrifying reality of this issue when one of our buildings was broken into.
Simon Robinson, Development Director, received a report from the police earlier this month that one of our buildings had been broken into. Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident and is something that we, as a company, have had to learn to deal with quickly in order to re-secure the building and make it safe again.
Simon made his way down to the building, fearful of what was going to meet him when he got there, in order to conduct a full internal and external search as he needed to ensure there was no one in the property.
During the search it became clear that our building had been used as a refuge from temperatures that had dropped below zero the previous night. Whoever had gained entry had chosen to light a fire on the first-floor level on top of a very dry timber floor. We are extremely thankful that the building was not burnt to the ground. After seeing the building itself was not damaged, Simon then concentrated his concerns on the huge quantity of drug related paraphernalia which was strewn across the floor, including many used needles.
Seeing the needles on the floor really shifted his mind from considering the potential fire damage, to trying to understand what must have been going through the minds of these individuals, where taking drugs on the floor of a vacant building in freezing temperatures would seem like a good idea. There was nothing glamorous about the scene at all. It was just incredibly sad.
Whilst this building is vacant because it is waiting for planning permission to become residential apartments, which will prevent antisocial behaviour in this particular location in the City Centre, we are well aware that drug users will just find somewhere else when this is no longer available to them.
This is why, as a society, we need services that help support drug users to get themselves to a place where risking their lives in the middle of a pandemic is not something they want to do. These drug users need to see that there are opportunities for them to thrive within our society, for them to have jobs and homes and see a future for themselves.
After securing the building, Simon reached out to the Community Safety Unit of the Council for help and advice on how to go about cleaning it up. They were fantastic at providing all the support he needed to remove all the drug related sharps from the building. This team are responsible for dealing with and removing drug related sharps from public spaces. This is a service that is carried out so effectively that you would struggle to be aware of it and we, at Cornerstone NI, praise the efforts of this team in keeping the streets clean and free from this kind of litter.
Although some of you know that this is going on, for us it was a stark reminder of the lack of hope that some people out there are experiencing. It generated a renewed passion to see growth in our region which will bring opportunities, jobs and hope to those in our society who are struggling right now.
It leaves us and perhaps you thinking what can I do? For us it has made us see that building a ‘Better Belfast’ is going to take all of us to pull together. It will take charities, businesses and the public sector pulling together to tackle these issues. A good start though is acknowledging the reality. The reality is that addiction is an issue in our city and there is no silver bullet that will solve this, however we each have a role to play and we will be stronger when we work together to make Belfast a city that enables all of its citizens to thrive and flourish.
We want to speak to people and organisations that also love Belfast and who have ideas of how Cornerstone can become part of the solution. If that’s you please do get in touch through the website.