Bristol: Drugs treatment services in funding boost to help LGBT community
Several drug support services in Bristol have been awarded thousands of pounds worth of grant funding in order to help tackle the use of “non-traditional” drugs in the city’s gay community and among young people generally.
Earlier this year, a study showed that very small numbers of people used crack or heroin but a rise had been reported in the use of drugs such as ecstasy, mephedrone and laughing gas.
According to Bristol City Council’s Safer Bristol department, people aged 18 to 24, gay men and bisexuals were among the groups most likely to use a range of substances.
Mark McNally, from Safer Bristol, told the BBC: “We have been working to commission services [that] have been shown to be effective in helping people using alcohol and drugs other than opiates.
“And we also wanted to fund services to support people who have child care responsibilities in order to help them achieve recovery and to reduce the risks to their children.”
Funding grants are going to the Bristol Specialist Drug and Alcohol Service (BSDAS) which has been awarded £70,000 to set up a drop-in clinic targeting younger non-opiate users and LGBT people.
The Bristol Drugs Service, People Using Other Drugs (POD) has also been awarded £50,000.
