HOUSING and homelessness have overtaken substance use as the most common reason people sought support from Ana Liffey in 2025, according to the charity’s latest annual report.
Ana Liffey is a low-threshold, harm-reduction charity providing support to people experiencing addiction, homelessness and other social harms. Its Midwest services operate across Clare, Limerick and North Tipperary.
The charity’s Clare outreach addiction service supported 86 people, according to figures contained in the report, which was launched on Monday, August 31, to coincide with International Overdose Awareness Day.
A further 95 people accessed the organisation’s equivalent outreach addiction service in Limerick, while 114 accessed the service in Tipperary.
Across all of Ana Liffey’s services, housing and homelessness was the most common primary reason for people seeking support during 2025, accounting for 27.8% of support needs.
Substance use and treatment accounted for 23% of support needs, followed by social support and welfare at 15.3%.
A total of 4,609 unique people accessed Ana Liffey’s services during 2025.
The organisation said the figures reflect the increasingly complex range of issues faced by people seeking support, with housing pressures, homelessness, substance use and other social harms often overlapping.
Ana Liffey CEO Dawn Russell said homelessness has become an increasingly significant issue for the people the organisation supports.
“Increased economic pressures have undoubtedly been the reason for some of the people we see ending up in homelessness,” she said.
“The sense that we are all one pay cheque away from the risk of homelessness really resonates at the moment.”
She said Ana Liffey was also supporting younger people who had become homeless after leaving State care and women who had nowhere to live after fleeing domestic violence.
Ms Russell stressed that homelessness and substance use did not necessarily go hand in hand.
“It’s not always the case that homeless people are using substances. Neither is it the case that all of our clients using substances are homeless,” she said.
Ana Liffey also provides overdose prevention and naloxone training through its Midwest services, with its Circle trainers working with other organisations across the region during 2025.
The charity said it continued to respond to emerging risks from synthetic opioids, crack cocaine and illicit street tablets, while also working with the HSE and Health Research Board on monitoring drug trends.
International Overdose Awareness Day took place on Monday, August 31, with Ana Liffey providing overdose prevention and naloxone training as part of its annual report launch.
People seeking support from Ana Liffey can contact the charity’s freephone service on 1800 78 68 28.
Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme
