Violet-Anne Wynne (Clare, Independent)
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Okay, I figured as much. Dr. Healy talked about reducing stigma. That is hugely important in west Clare. I represent County Clare. In west Clare in particular, however, there is a huge issue around drug use but also societal isolation and not being able to get support when it comes to housing. This is a big issue for me with a few lads who are in west Clare. They actually have the mentality that they do not deserve a house. That is what they tell me. That struck a chord with me because having shelter is a basic human right, in my view. Everyone should have it regardless, so it is sad to hear that they have basically lost the fight to even want to have shelter. Their health is deteriorating. Their mental health is deteriorating even more. I cannot see how it is going to improve for those individuals, especially if they are not going to get access to shelter. This is a major obstacle in County Clare. I believe it has an awful lot to do with the stigma, which is probably to do with those working in public office, for example. Do the witnesses have any thoughts in respect of how I can tackle that? Is decriminalisation the only way forward in terms of having a serious impact on reducing stigma? I ask that question because my thought process is that this is the only way we are going to make headway.

The other issue is centralised care. What I am getting from Dr. Healy is that we need to move away from that. It needs to be individualised care. We have an issue with a lack of GPs in County Clare, however. West Clare is so far removed even from Ennis, the main town in County Clare. I know individuals who have never left Kilrush, which sounds crazy but that is the reality for them. They are 45 minutes away from Ennis. The best way to put it is that it feels like being in a whole different country. When you go to west Clare, it just feels so detached from everywhere else. There are people who do not leave that locality, so accessing treatment and services when it is 45 minutes to Ennis and further again to Limerick is too big of a task for them. We also have issues relating to transportation and the cost. That is another issue people have reported to me. They really want to get help but it is just too difficult and they cannot afford to go. They may also have issues with the pass. They may have been in prison and may lose their disability allowance and their pass. It is a whole obstacle to try to get all that back into play. I agree with Dr. Healy in that regard. There are too many obstacles for them. I was hoping there might be an opportunity for the Government to put in place a Leap card or something else to facilitate that, or even a shuttle bus.

My other question is in respect of supports and services. Do we have a database in place yet that acts as a one-stop shop to which we can point people?