An evaluation of a 'wet centre' to reduce street drinking issues in Liverpool has been released by Liverpool John Moores University's Centre for Public Health.
The Rehabilitation, Education, Support & Treatment (REST) Centre ran as a pilot from June to September 2015. Delivered by local homeless providers commissioned by Liverpool's Citysafe Partnership, it has since been set up on a more permanent basis.
The REST Centre was developed primarily as a means to 'diffuse the anti-social behaviour associated with street drinking in the city', but also aimed to provide support and pathways into alcohol treatment for street drinkers.
During the pilot the centre operated seven days a week between midday and 8pm and also provided health services, organised activities and advice and support on issues such as employment and housing. Located in central Liverpool, the centre acted as a 'drop in facility that aimed to provide a safe and secure space for street drinkers within which they could consume alcohol provided it was decanted into plastic containers'.
Such spaces have previously been described as 'wet centres', typically offering a harm reduction approach for severely dependent street drinkers who may not wish to access or be suitable for detox or treatment services. However funding such schemes has been controversial; using public money to reduce the visibility of street drinking with little certainty of other outcomes inevitably has its critics.
The evaluation sought to examine the impact of the REST Centre on the street drinkers in Liverpool and the wider community through interviews with stakeholders and use of a range of data sources. Whilst the report identifies significant uptake of the centre and a number of positives were described by stakeholders, there was limited evidence of benefits to services users or the wider community from the available data.
During the pilot 386 services users were identified, with 4,667 'on-site interventions' accessed. These included general attendance at the REST Centre, basic care and practical support, activities and classes, harm reduction advice and other support. Accessing these interventions under a single roof was 'seen as a key to the success of the REST Centre', although data limitations meant identifying any health outcomes for street drinkers was hard to determine.
A number of further challenges were also identified in the report, particularly in terms of evaluating the project's impact. The emergence of Novel Psychoactive Substances (NPS) and associated anti-social behaviour during the summer of 2015 was reported as a significant issue. However positives were identified including reported reductions in drinking, in some cases attributed to greater feelings of safety and the provision of alternative activities. Eight individuals were referred to alcohol treatment and other service users were reported to have stopped drinking while there.
Are 'wet centres' effective?
Although hard evidence for most of the desired outcomes may be absent in the report, reducing the presence of street drinking via engagement with the centre was the primary outcome. Data from Merseyside Police showed a reduction in anti-social behaviour police-related calls near the REST Centre, though the report acknowledges this could not be directly attributed to the centre's presence. No follow up data on drinking levels amongst service users or clear impacts on hospital attendances could be established either.
As past projects have demonstrated, 'wet centres' are typically cost-prohibitive with questionable impacts. Despite this, there are few alternative 'solutions' for working with street populations which include some of the most vulnerable individuals often with multiple complex needs. As such, a complex set of question arises over the issue of 'enforcement vs support' as explored in an Alcohol Academy briefing paper [pdf] . Multi-agency strategies may seek to balance both, though are often driven by concerns over associated anti-social behaviour. More recent work on working with change resistant drinkers may also provide some answers, whilst the issue of price and white ciders are also often raised in such debates.
'Street drinking' per say is not illegal, though following the Police and Criminal Justice Act 2001 'controlled drinking zones' became increasingly popular with local authorities. The designated 'zones' allow police or other officers to confiscate alcohol at their discretion and were soon being implemented across larger geographic areas, partly in response to issues of displacement. Critics though cited examples of excessive use, such as where there was no evidence of anti-social behaviour. A 2012 evidence review of public drinking controls also found mixed results; whilst community reassurance was common, so was further marginalisation of street population groups.
Liverpool however have opted to continue to support the REST centre. According the the Liverpool Echo, Merseyside Police Chief Superintendent Mark Wiggins said:
“We are all committed to continuing with helping these individuals in partnership to improve their lives in the long run and to ensure that the city continues to be a safe and vibrant place for people to live in, work in and visit.”
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