Use of the drug ice in the Maitland area is massive – with some people unable to feed their children because they use every cent to buy the drug, according to Maitland Neighbourhood Centre staff.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
“We know there are a lot of people using ice – we all see the results of this,” manager Naomi Rees said.
“The biggest problems come on the days people receive their money.
“After that is gone, some resort to stealing to support their addiction. So many families have nothing to live on and this is where we come in.
“We are fortunate to be able to assist many hungry and desperate families.”
Ms Rees said there was a great deal of fear in families because people using ice were out of control.
“We are dealing with something here that is so vicious,” she said.
“Parents often don’t recognise their own children they are so affected by this evil drug.
“They tell us: ‘This is not my kid. It is their body, but it is a different child from the person I know.’
“This drug affects people in an horrendous, cruel and violent way.”
Workers at the centre had seen the results of ice addiction: homes destroyed in a spree of mindless violence, often resulting in injury to others.
“We have spoken to some parents afraid to go to their own homes because they fear violence from their ice-addicted children,” Ms Rees said.
She said a primary role of workers at Maitland Neighbourhood Centre was support.
“We have a lot of trust in the community,” she said.
“We find ourselves acting as their first port of call in an emergency – we are people they can talk to.
“This is part of the service we offer – if we can help, that’s what we do.”
Every day, staff assisted people with food to survive – as a direct result of their use of ice, Ms Rees said.
“We believe the use of this drug in Maitland has been a gradual process, having crept up for about a year,” she said.
“It was first seen as a recreational drug, but it has such a high addiction rate.
“People never think they will be affected by it, but they become addicted rapidly.”
Ms Rees paid tribute to her staff and said they regarded themselves as fortunate that they were there to support others in need.
“Our workers can spend time with people and they in turn honour us by supporting what we do,” she said.
“We have a great team here and people trust us.
“We don’t point a finger and we don’t make judgements.
“So people come in here and tell us things.
“They honour us by supporting what we do, so we are often able to refer drug users to the appropriate rehabilitation or detoxification facility.”
